A Dream Turned Reality
by jthelyric
Summary: 50,000 years have passed since the Protheans vanished w/o a trace. Nobody knows what happened. And only one race ever (successfully)opposed them: The Orokin. And even they, too, disappeared; only, not in as mysterious of a circumstance. In their wake, however, lies the catalyst the universe needs, as the war to end all wars is coming. The cycle will continue.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, Guys, there are a few notes I should make before you start reading. If you've read** _ **Mass Effect: Dimensional Rift**_ **by Bundlejumper (and you should, it's a great story) I credit them with the inspiration for this story. I pulled the concept of the Alpha-Frame from his story so any credit for that goes there; although I am tweaking it a bit so it's not a carbon copy. Nothing else has been taken from his story other than that so, don't expect this to go like his. As I said in summary, this is a blending of Warframe into the Mass Effect Universe. That being said, here are a few changes I've made to make the crossover as seamless as possible. First, I'm assuming that everything that's happened in the Warframe game up until this point (update 18.5 I think) has happened I'm starting my story from the end of The Second Dream, however. Second, the Tenno (and subsequently the Orokin) are NOT HUMAN. I'm viewing them as their own race for this story. So, the Warframe story does NOT take place in the Sol system (Earth, Mars, etc.) I'm even bothering to name the system it takes place in cuz I don't intend to use it much and you'll see why in the story; but just keep that in mind. I think that's all I have to warn you about at the moment. I'm an avid player of both games so I hope you enjoy what I've done here. Like, comment and critique!**

* * *

 _Dream…_

 _Not of what you are….._

 _But of what you want to be…._

Two small, masked, humanoid figures are held by the neck in the stoic grip of a third; this one, dressed in a masked suit born from the darkness itself. He tightens his hold on the two smaller figures; poised to end their lives. A tremor of conflict rattles through his bones. For so long, he's hunted them. For so long he's been waiting for this moment; this chance to wipe the betrayers from existence...but for some reason, he hesitates… then, drops them completely.

Your hatred is too weak Shadow….

My fragments will finish this….

Shadow disappears from sight; as if the darkness left and took it with him. A light shines into the room to reveal the two figures stirring on the floor of a ship. Their ship, the Mantis; a white insect looking vessel complete black outlines and accents, comes to life with a slow hum thrumming through it. On the inside, a panel opens up and lowers into a ramp; allowing a woman to walk to the rear of the Mantis. She enters the room where the two figures still lay on the floor stirring. Smiling a mother's smile, she scoops her children into each arm with a seemingly unnatural strength and sets them into two pods stationed in the very back of the ship. Once placed inside the pods came to life; enveloping the two in brilliant energy that lasts only a few seconds before dying down. Now, they have enough energy to remove their masks. Seeing this, the woman's smile gets even brighter. If she weren't wearing a strange looking helmet, they would have seen the thinly veiled apprehension on her face.

"Johan... Aquila, you're awake now; and more vulnerable than ever. Still, my children, you're so beautiful to behold. How do you feel?"

The one named Johan removes his mask to reveal a young male around 12 years of age. He has brown skin that seems to glow with a dark orange tint just under it. Peculiar markings that look like splattered light blue paint decorate the right side of his face; wrapping around his eye and converging into a crystal shaped spot on his forehead. Black hair unfurls from the top of his mask. Followed quickly by the light blue highlights that don't appear to be highlighted at all; but rather, the continuation of his hair. He rubs the shaved sides of his head as if to remove unseen cobwebs and opens his eyes. Glowing ethereal light blue and dark orange eyes finally register the world around him. First, his twin sister, in the pod next to him stirring, but slowly coming to; and then, the full figure of the woman who guided him on this journey since the first dream. Even though he doesn't remember much of it, he certainly remembers her. Although still groggy, he answers the question.

"Confused….my sister...I thought we were…"

"I know...Forgive me. It was a part of the second dream; a transference of your mind into a surrogate flesh, Your Warframe. But, this is who you are; a Tenno. More than Orokin, but once children like any other…What do you remember?"

With some clarification from the woman, they now referred to as Lotus, the children recount pieces of memories of their time before the void accident. That of being two of many orphans picked for an experiment. And their overseer, Margulis, murdered for being one of the only Orokin to treat them with love care and not experiments turned monsters with extraordinary powers. Powers at that, at the time, they couldn't control

The woman, Lotus, grew saddened thinking about that time. How some people p could treat children that way was still beyond her. And poor Margulis; her bravery was only outmatched by that of children, their children. She swore they would get their freedom, and they did. It meant wiping out the Orokin Empire with the use of her children, the first dream, but it was done. It meant putting them in cryogenic stasis afterward while she constructed The Reservoir, their safe haven, but it was done. Moving and hiding an entire moon in the vacuum of the chaos of the times necessitated such actions. Considering it was centuries before she was forced to wake them and initiate the second dream to quell a threat on her children gave her reassurance that it was worth it. They had freedom now. Even so, they weren't completely free; not when it had to come in a dream.

Aquila joined the conversation not long after it started. Her glowing white eyes cast shadows on her deep purple hair and appear to as two glowing moons when compared to her grayish purple skin. Equally confused as her brother at first, she begins to realize that just now they are actually in their own bodies, and not in transference. She remembers The Sentients. A machine race that started the Old War with the Orokin. The Orokin were losing this war badly. And, in their desperation, they turned to the Void, a pocket dimension of the Orokin's accidental creation. It was there that Aquila, her brother, and the other orphans became 'afflicted' with great, but uncontrollable power. The Orokin had found a way for them to control it. By building a frame around them, made of this synthetic organism called technocyte, the children had a medium to focus their power; and with it, they vanquished the Sentients. Shortly after, the continued abuse and enslavement became too much and they rebelled against the Orokin, killed their government leaders and dismantled the Orokin empire. They vowed to never allow themselves or anyone else to go thru that again. They developed a code, unspoken between them, so that they would never have to experience that hell again; the Tenno Code.

Lotus was astonished at Aquila's ability to remember so much. Not many of the Tenno held many memories of their time before cryo. She could also see flashes of increasing remembrance in Johan's eyes. Her children were truly remarkable.

"Remarkable, to remember so much…. To have gone through so much….and now your fight is twofold: The War without and the War within."

"What do you mean?" Aquila asked.

"The reservoir is exposed now and even in your orbiters, it would not be wise to depend solely on transference any longer. The Sentients have proven to not be eliminated entirely; and, with the chaos in this system, it's only a matter of time before someone comes for you."

The siblings look towards each other in thought; realizing their predicament.

"There is only one option for you and the rest of the Tenno, you have to learn to Transfer your abilities from dream to reality."

It was Johan who first picked up on her meaning.

"You mean...that we actually put on the Warframes ourselves"

Aquila looked shocked this; but, she too saw no alternative.

"So….how are we going to do that." She asked.

"I have a few contacts that can assist me in this endeavor you already have the training you need. We just need assurance that putting on the Warframe does not compromise your health... Nevertheless, I have no doubt you will master the commanding of your Warframes and make whole the shattered world you were given.

Are you ready Tenno?"

The twins took one look at each other and for the first time in recent memory, smiled.

"Yes Lotus, we are."

* * *

 _ **15 years later**_

* * *

The Conclave was a serene place. Small waterfalls cascading into ponds around a large grass field. It was one of the most peaceful places in Tenno territory. The Tenno had restored the relays used by the Orokin in the Old War; and, with Lotus's help, established a thriving community among the systems in the terminus. The Conclave was among the first places, along with the research to be fully restored. It was here that the Tenno trained. On the far in of the field, an intimidating warframe was moving through a series of katas with expert precision.

There was silence around the area as every punch or kick cut through the air with a speed not thought possible for a frame of this size. Surrounded in bulky armor it's clear this frame is meant for strength and ranking through enemies. The black armor seemed to shimmer in the light and its blue accents streaked along if with each movement the warframe, Rhino, took. He was too focused to notice a woman walking in his direction.

Amusement was written all over her face as she observed the rhino going thru his paces. A decade and a half had really brought them a long way. Physically she was perfection personified. She stood proudly at 5'9; just below the average height for female Tenno. She had more curves than she cared to deal with; so she didn't bother concealing them given the gray form fitting body suit she now wore. Her purple hair would reach near her back if it wasn't secured in a bun on top of her head. Indigo bangs framed a heart-shaped face that shimmered with a grayish purple. The once pure white glowing eyes now had swirls of gray mixed in completing the downright gorgeous and exotic look of the Tenno; and they observed their brethren patiently as the Rhino completely his kata and settled in a resting, meditative position.

"You don't ever take a break; do you, Johan?"

The Rhino suit seemed to collapse on itself folding back layer by layer until a man stood in its place. At 6'1, Johan was a bit of a shrimp when compared to other male Tenno. However, being in the peak physical condition that is common in every Tenno, it hardly mattered. He still kept the shaved mohawk he maintained in his youth; black and light blue blowing slightly in the artificial wind. Now out of the suit, he stretched his muscles; happy that he was able to put on a little bit more covered than the average lean bodied physique of his people. Blue and Orange eyes met white and gray; matching the latter's amusement.

"I wouldn't be me if I did dear sister."

"Well seeing as the Lotus requested our presence, I think you ought to make an exception."

"Lotus, wants us?" he asked; a bit perplexed

"Is their Johan and Aquila that you know of?"

Johan rolled his eyes and moved past Aquila toward the conclaves exit.

"Well then, get the lead out ya ass 'Quila; let's move!"

Aquila sighs before following him.

"If that's all it takes to get him outta here, why didn't I try this before" Aquila murmured to herself. Upon realizing that he was halfway out the door, she ran after him.

"Hey! Do you even know where she is?"

"Nope!" Johan replied. Not that he let that little fact slow him down.

The Lotus stared out the window of the observation room. Gazing out into deep space always seemed to calm her. She would come to one of these rooms on the relays whenever she wanted to assess everything she and her tenno were trying to accomplish.

The last decade and a half was fruitful; all things considered. Within the first 2 years, the Tenno had developed to the point where they could physically enter and operate their Warframes without any backlash. Also, with her children now being 'one with their frames,' their powers are even stronger than before; aiding in the efficiency of their missions overall.

It warmed her heart to see her children grow and interact with each other in between missions. She had hope that one day, they could establish peace, and, a home for themselves. However, if the information that just came in was anywhere near as accurate as she believed it to be, then things just became a LOT more complicated. As if on cue, Johan and Aquila appeared behind her. These were arguably the best of the best of the warriors in their little family. Aquila, 'All Seeing; All-Knowing,' some of her friends and colleagues joke; not that she could do anything to refute the claim. She has a brilliant mind. More often than not, you're going to find her either in the Archives going over the history of everyone and everything that catches her interest, or she's in the lab hacking some complex program or programming bits and pieces of equipment; both in order to aid in Tenno research. She was no slouch in combat either. An expert marksman with exceptional cunning, she gets as much joy out of tricking you into your own demise as she does delivering it to you.

Her twin, Johan, is cut from the same cloth. They share a love of history and technology although Johan is much more focused on using it as a tool for combat rather than just for the sake of knowing. In addition, Johan is a bit more unorthodox in his solutions. He's known throughout the relays for being quite creative in how he attacks or disrupts enemy networks; often straying from the usual tactics that are commonly taught to all Tenno. He translates that same ingenuity onto the battlefield. Preferring close quarters combat, his techniques are so unorthodox it's nigh impossible to tell where or when the next blow is coming. The only time when that's not the case is when the blow is so powerful, whether you see it coming or not, you won't be able to stop it. Even so, where Johan excels the most is stealth. It unnerves even the Lotus at how adept he is at being unseen. It's usually her motherly instincts alone that allow her to even know when he's in a room. Needless to say, the two individually are more than formidable opponents; but together, she has yet to set them on a task they couldn't accomplish. In fact, it's why she asked them to come here.

"Johan, Aquila how are you, my children"

"We are well Lotus." the siblings replied; bowing as they said it.

Lotus's eyebrow twitches.

"I have told you time and again how I detest such formal responses in my presence. You are my children. Act as such." She said; although it was definitely understood as a command"

Both of their faces flush. "Sorry Lotus, its habit" Aquila replies.

Johan scratches the side of his head and laughs; embarrassed.

Lotus shakes her head at their nonsense

"Come now, join me there's much we must discuss."

The two tenno followed the Lotus to a collection of floor pads nearest the observation window. They join her in a comfortable kneeling position as the Lotus begins to speak.

"My children, for years we have labored. For years, we have fought to keep the peace in this ever growing chaotic world; and, create a true home where we can prosper. I fear, however, that dream may be quite a bit more fleeting than we once realized."

"What do you mean, Lotus?" Aquila asked; concern growing on both her face and that of her brother.

"To explain I must again go back to your battle with the Sentients in the Old War." Lotus continued

"But first I must ask, do you know where the Sentients came from?"

Johan replied this time.

"Weren't they AI's created by the Orokin to help colonize other worlds?"

"That was the start of it, yes, but there is much more to the story," Lotus replied

"Many years before their creation, the Orokin were in conflict with a race known as the Protheans"

"Protheans? I've never seen anything in the Old Orokin archives about them." Aquila said.

"Nor would you, my child; the Orokin did not trust the Protheans way of life and chose to part with it. This galaxy is far bigger than the nebula we inhabit. The Void cuts us off from the rest of it. As the Archives state, The Void was created on accident by the Orokin. What the archives do not mention is that incident is a result of a conflict with the Protheans. The Protheans dominated much of our larger galaxy and were always expanding. Any new species or civilizations they encountered in their expansions were uplifted and assimilated into their empire or, if they opposed them, conquered and destroyed entirely."

This information left the siblings in varying stages of shock. They knew about the Void of course, but to know that another race of organics existed was astonishing, to say the least. Add that to the fact that the galaxy was many times larger than what they had come to know; both of their minds were put into overdrive.

"I'm assuming when you said these Protheans 'uplifted' those that they came across, that they had a superior technology?" Aquila asked; growing more curious about these Protheans by the second.

"Very astute my child, yes." Lotus replied "I do not know much about it but I do know it was termed Mass Effect.

"Weird name," Johan commented. "I assume the Orokin wanted this technology for themselves?"

"Quite the opposite in fact," Lotus said; shocking Johan.

"As it happens, the Protheans eventually found the Orokin and tried to absorb them into their empire. The Orokin were space faring far before this point but had not known it was to leave this galaxy nor that there was anywhere else to expand to. Thus, they were curious about the technology that allowed them to travel here. The Orokin carried out very covert observations and research and had discovered that the technology the Protheans boasted upon, was not their own."

"What do you mean by 'not their own', Lotus?" Aquila asked.

"This technology was already in place when the Protheans found it. They traveled to different galaxies via these planet sized devices known as Mass Relays. These relays were all connected and converged on what was the heart of the Prothean Empire. However, none of these constructions, not even the one that housed the Prothean government, was built by them; and they didn't know the ones who did.

"Convenient, that tech like that would just fall into the hands of a race of people like that" Aquila said, a frown forming on her face.

"Too convenient," Johan added.

"The Orokin thought so as well" Lotus replied "So, they refused to join. The Protheans didn't take kindly to this and retaliated with force. The Orokin's technology proved to be formidable against the early attempts at invasion, and they successfully fended off Prothean assaults. The Orokin were smart and knew that they couldn't hold up to the sheer size of the Prothean Empire. So they opted for isolation.

Johan's eyes widened

"Our galaxy is that big?"

"It certainly would explain a few observations I had about the Void," Aquila said aloud.

This drew the attention of both Lotus and Johan who turned to her in wonderment.

"What do you mean, my child? Lotus questioned

"Well, I was looking at some old maps where our nebula and the void was drawn out. It appears that the Orokin once tried to measure the vastness of the void but the proportions they came up with were considerably larger than the ones we use in our navigational maps today. I think the difference in the area we know as the void today and the void as it was measured in the archive files may actually be the rest of the galaxy where the Protheans rule."

The Lotus mouth hung slightly open at the conclusion Aquila came to. She paused for a moment as certain dots started to connect in her own mind.

"Amazing, yes that would certainly make sense."

"Why is that Lotus?" Aquila asked.

"When the Protheans retreated, the Orokin, using some data they had acquired from the Protheans, sought out these Mass Relays that existed in or near Orokin space. They did not want the Protheans coming back with their full might. They knew they would not be underestimated a second time, so, they destroyed every Mass Relay that connected to Orokin space."

"Damn weren't they the size of planets!? And to completely isolate a section of an entire galaxy, that's almost unbelievable, even for the Orokin." Johan replied. His eyebrows were near the point of joining his hairline they were so high.

"I imagine the data they stole from the Protheans played a part," Lotus thought aloud.

A proverbial light bulb struck Aquila; the shock evident in her eyes conveyed that even she couldn't believe the obvious solution to the mystery of the Void's origin.

"The void was created by the destruction of these relays, wasn't it Lotus?" Aquila asked; still not quite believing it.

"Indeed my child, yes. The data they had obtained was not enough to calculate the risk of such an undertaking. Time was not on their side. It was a hasty project focused solely on ensuring that the Protheans could never return. The subsequent destruction not only created the Void, but it also destroyed the Orokin planets and ships that were too close to the relays. Some of the Orokin Derelicts are actually remnants of the ships that took part in the Mass Relays' destruction."

Aquila chewed her lip in thought. Perhaps some of the data on this Mass Effect technology could be recovered from these derelicts. Although many of them are overcome with Infested and the infested Corpus and Grineer teams that tried to mine them. There is still a small chance she could recover some of this data.

Johan was more focused on the Void itself. How destroying a simple construction could, no matter the technology, create a pocket dimension, that just didn't make sense. It had to be something about the tech itself. Wait...that's it.

"Aquila, didn't you say something once about Nova, being able to create dimensions due to its manipulation of antimatter."

Aqulooksat Johan in thought...before her eyes widened in realization

"Holy shit! Mass Effect technology must somehow manipulate that isotope of rubedo we discovered! The one that is both matter and antimatter! Remember Lotus, when we charge it with electricity it created strange fields similar to Nova's."

The Lotus sat back, quite astonished at revelations this conversation was producing. Hundreds upon thousands of years of mystery cracked by in single meeting of two brilliant minds. She smiled at the thought.

"That is most definitely a groundbreaking discovery you both have made but I fear I've allowed us to become too sidetracked in this story."

Johan and Aquila both struggled to control the excitement and wonder; and smiled sheepishly. They had actually forgotten the whole reason they came here.

"We're sorry Lotus, please continue," Aquila said

"It's quite alright my child. In fact, I may need you or some of the others to follow up on the fruits of this tangent discussion. As you've both brought up some points that definitely need to be looked into. As they could play a huge role in the reason I actually wanted to speak with you."

Johan and Aquila settled back down in their kneeling positions on their mats; waiting for Lotus to continue speaking.

"Now then, the Sentients as were constructed to assist with expansion and advancement throughout Orokin space; until they rebelled and attacked. The reason why has eluded us since the beginning; until now."

Needless to say, they were dumbstruck.

"Memories of my earlier times with the Sentients have been unavailable to me since before I defected. Our latest run-ins with Hunhow and his fragments have somehow broken down the barriers that were in place between us and I've been able to latch on to a few memories from Hunhow to repair my own; and the memories I've found are...disturbing, to say the least. If what I've found is correct, the Sentients were rewritten to wipe out the Orokin by Hunhow; who is not even a Sentient at all."

Anger flooded the veins of Johan and Aquila. They remembered how he manipulated the shadow and nearly succeed in orchestrating their destruction when they were children. And ever since he's been trying to hunt down Tenno via Shadow Stalker or disruption missions through the use of his fragments. In fact, now that they thought about it, those attacks have increasingly infrequent over the past few weeks.

"If he isn't a Sentient, then what is he?" Johan asked through gritted teeth

"He's a part of a race of sentient machines far greater than the so-called Sentients he created."

"If he's part of another machine race, where did he come from?" Aquila asked.

"My guess? The other side of the void." Lotus said solemnly

"But...But I thought they couldn't survive the trek through the Void?!"

"He didn't entirely, the void altered his abilities somehow, his strength used to be much stronger from I've seen. It appears this loss of strength stranded him on this side of the Void with no communication with the rest of his race; but now, he's searching for a way back."

Johan's anger, and if he were honest, slight fear spiked as he realized the purpose of this meeting.

"If he finds a way through to the rest of his kind…."

"Then he can possibly bring them back through and wipe us out" Aquila finished with a grim expression.

"Exactly," Lotus stated; relieved that her children understood the depth of their situation.

"I don't think I need to say it, but we can NOT allow that to happen." Lotus finished.

"Though I must confess; my tenno, I am not quite sure what action we should take. I was hoping that together we can come up with a solution before alerting the remaining Tenno. A course of action needs to be taken immediately."

This was true. Some of their fellow Tenno (mostly the youngest of their kind) were hesitant to take direct action in the form of combat after being awakened from cryo and neglected to adopt their Warframes unless absolutely necessary. Instead, they took secondary roles in areas like research and development; healthcare and agricultural development. There's no telling how they'd react to this devastating news if we don't set them to task that they can all benefit. Withholding the information wasn't a viable option either. There were no secrets among the Tenno; that was part of their code.

Aquila bit her lip in the usual fashion. The pressure slowly mounting on her hyperactive mind. Johan meanwhile was almost unmoving. He knew the answer to their plight. But the level of undertaking would be…..something they'd never fathomed before. And as much as that scared him. He saw no other option.

"We have to beat him to it," he said, finally. Lotus and Aquila both jumped at the sudden intrusion of sound and it took them a minute to register what he said.

"What do you mean 'Han," Aquila asked. Her nickname for him slipping absentmindedly.

"The other side of the Void, we have to beat him there. We can't very well wait for him to bring reinforcements. And think about it; he came from the other side right? Where the Protheans exist? There's got to be a reason he came here. What if his kind were the ones responsible for all that tech the Protheans depended on and they didn't like the Orokin for destroying their stuff? We have only improved on that technology since then. Maybe, he's trying to kill us for it. Maybe the whole thing was a trap for the Protheans and we were meant to be in it so he was trying to clean up the mess his kind left behind- OW!"

Aquila interjected with a slap upside his head. Lotus was a bit too overwhelmed to even give it any attention.

"Johan you're rambling!" Aquila exclaimed heatedly.

"Sorry." Johan mumbles, rubbing the now aching spot on his head.

"My point is that they don't know who we are or that we exist. Hunhow won't have an easy time getting across that void. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to send Shadow; and we can't take Hunhow down without a better grasp on his abilities and where he comes from. Our best bet would be to make that trip ourselves and see if we can dig something up on him. The Protheans had to have come across this machine race. Maybe they found a way to combat them."

"You make valid points Johan but we can't just start sending Tenno across the void. Hunhow will eventually notice and become suspicious." Lotus countered.

"True, it'd have to be a team small enough to not be noticed," Johan muttered thoughtfully.

"But how exactly are we going to get to the other side? We'd have to create a Void key to a place we don't even know." Aquila mentioned with concern.

That put a dent into Johan's logic and he deflated visibly. It was highly unlikely that you would find a void key that points to that side of the Void considering nobody on that side of the galaxy even knows that they exist.

"Aquila is right, there are no known void keys that point to the opposite end of the Void; however, we could point an existing key in that direction" the Lotus chimed in.

Aquila quickly turned to the Lotus "But we'd have to calculate exactly where the Void and the rest of the galaxy meet in order to make the jump and we'd have to pretty much outline the entire Void to even make it accurate. Is that even possible?"

"It will take some doing, but I do believe we can use the Orokin's data on the Void as a launching point. This may yield to even more fruitful endeavors for us if we can succeed. We know that we can traverse the void with the proper keys. We have made some effort into studying the mechanics. Perhaps it is the time we make that a primary focus." Lotus replied

"Wait, so we're doing this?" Johan asked. Lotus nodded

"It appears to be our only option at the moment, and it does yield other potential benefits. Perhaps we could find a place on the other side of the Void to establish a true home, a planet to secure for ourselves."

That brought a hopeful look onto all of their faces. It would be nice to have something besides their Relays to call home. A fire lit behind the eyes of the Tenno twins as they abruptly got to their feet eager to get started.

"So what's our first move Lotus?" Johan asked. He was practically bouncing on his feet in excitement. One of the few things Johan enjoyed more than fighting was traveling. Despite the reasons, it would amazing to be able to explore a new place; it only made it more enticing that he could simultaneously help his people.

Lotus made her way to her feet as well; plotting a proper course of action for their goals.

"Aquila, I would like you to get started on finding a way of pointing void keys to the opposite end of the galaxy. We must move haste but we cannot be hasty, I don't need to remind you the dangers of malfunctioning void keys."

Aquila nodded with a serious expression. You could almost see the gears turning over on themselves in her mind. She could figure it out. Of that, Lotus had no doubt.

"And Johan, "Lotus continued

"I want you to start preparing an Orbiter to traverse the galaxy. Your Mantis may be fine but I believe a few augments and upgrades would be necessary to truly be ready for anything you may come up against."

Johan looks at Lotus strangely.

"I knew you would want to be the one to take on this mission. I assume I am not wrong?" Lotus asked; clearly amused.

"No ma'am, I mean -NO, Lotus I just didn't expect-"

"You are one of if not the best of the Tenno in combat and exploration. If I could the trust and future of our kind into anyone, you'd be at the top of the list" Lotus interjected.

Johan was taken by surprise. Aquila shook her head and smirked at his humility. Of course her brother, one of the deadliest beings in the galaxy would act as if he was a common soldier and not the General in sheep's clothing. Johan's smile did not fade in the slightest, but his eyes hardened with determination.

"I won't let you down Lotus!" he exclaimed.

"Also, I would recommend upgrading your Mantis to properly house two Tenno. Both you and your sister will be partaking in this mission. "Lotus said; Aquila saw that coming and simply nodded in determination.

"I will take the responsibility of alerting the other Tenno of our situation. I have no doubt we'll have all able bodies willingly assisting in this endeavor."

Johan clapped his hands together and smirked at his sister.

"Well 'Quila, shall we get started?!"

Aquila closed her eyes and tucked a stray hair behind her ear before turning to meet Johan's eyes. She had no words, but with matching smirk that was now on both of their faces; Lotus knew what her answer was. She herself allowed a smile to appear on her face; just as excited for things to come.

* * *

 **And That's Chappie One! I apologize for any grammatical errors. I'm not the best when it comes to paying attention to detail. I'm already working on 2 but I want people to get a feel for the story. So if you could, please comment and tell me what you like and dislike so far. I wanted the beginning to setup the differences I've made in the Warframe lore. I apologize for the pace but I needed to establish a foundation before I introduce my final changes before I bring everything together in the next chapter or so.**

 **Also, I realized that in my excitement at getting out the first chapter, I neglected to mention a few of the minor details that are key to avoid any confusion. So I saw it necessary to put this here to avoid any confusion going forward.**

 **Here are the changes I've made to the Warframe lore for my story that differs from the one DE has established**

 **The Orokin in my story is NOT an evolution of humanity. They are their own separate race, meaning the Tenno are as well.**

 **Since, they are not humans, their story (as created by DE ) does not take place in the Sol System; Those events took place in a separate system that is not named as of yet; it may not ever be.**

 **To clear up the confusion on the timeline; The Orokin (again, for my story) originally existed at the same time as the Protheans with the Old War happening sometime after the Protheans were harvested. the only difference is in my story, the cryo lasted thousands of years instead of hundreds. I'm putting the events where Lotus reawakened the Tenno (basically the beginning of Warframe) at just after the Geth's War with the Quarians; which is 300 years or so before the Events of the ME games**

 **I have a very special idea for the Warframes that Aquila and Johan will have. I won't give it away here. But I will say this. Obviously, the idea of the Prime versions of the warframes, sentinels, and weapons, was purely for a monetary gain for DE. That being said I'm not going to distinguish between the Prime and Regular versions for those that currently exist in the game. I just think the prime stuff looks cooler and to save on tedious descriptions of characters and frames; If there exists a prime frame/weapon/sentinel etc….. And I mention it in my story, then you can visualize the prime version instead of the regular**

 **So, as an example, Johan's Rhino frame is actually a Rhino Prime, BUT I'm not making that distinction in the world I've created so I'll just be referring to him as Rhino. And I'll be doing that for everything.**

 **I believe those are the major things I needed for you guys to know and I apologize for any confusion it caused. I'll have chapt. 2 up in the next few days hopefully. But thanks for those that have read and/or reviewed so far!**

 **So comment, review and tell me what you think! Next chap will be up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, all! Thank you to those who've read and reviewed! I'll definitely take some of those suggestions under consideration. I hope that the addendum took care of some concerns you guys had. By the end of this chapter or the next, you'll have a good idea of what I'm doing here. r. We're almost to the point of getting into the ME world. Also, I get to introduce my original idea: The Delta-Frame. (inspired by the Alpha-Frame in _Mass Effect: Dimensional Rift)._ I'm back and forth about whether the Tenno will enter during the ME1 or ME2 events. So that's going to be tackled next chap. I know my warframe descriptions aren't the best. So, at the end of the chapter, I've posted a link to the pics of what they look like! Thanks for reading. Here's chapter 2!**

* * *

 ** _A year later…._**

* * *

A silhouette rushes through the hallways of a derelict Orokin ship. Invisible and silent, it darts past the patrolling Corrupted; who lay claim to the pseudo-monuments of the Void.

'It's so easy to become arrogant when using this ability' it thought.

'You're almost untouchable and every move is a surprise to your opponent.'

But, the mission wasn't too clear this derelict. It would take too much time and effort.

'Attack only if they're in your way' the silhouette reminded itself.

'We don't need to draw their attention just yet.'

The silhouette darted down a hallway which led to a spacious room that climbed at least three stories. Jagged stairs and broken platforms spiraled up what appeared to be the center of the room. Huge jungle vines encased them almost completely.

"Hmmm, now where do you lead?" the silhouette wondered.

There were no Corrupted as far as it could sense. The silhouette rippled away revealing a Loki Warframe streaked in deep red and a light blue skin. It was almost as if the two colors were swirling together in the cosmos. Loki double checked his surroundings before darting off up the staircase with amazing speed. Scaling up the broken platforms shortened the trip even further. He was on the top floor within a few seconds. Not breaking stride, the Loki dashes down the winding hallway. He bypasses a few adjacent rooms before coming to a stop at an intersection with another hallway. To his right, the Loki hears the faint sound of a gunfight; and activates his invisibility cloak. Just in time; as more Corrupted came running from the path to his left. He recognized their armor as that of the guardians. This meant his destination must be in the direction they came from.

Suddenly, a dome of flames comes surging down the hallway. Loki jumps back down the hallway he came from. The flames burst through the intersection with amazing intensity. The Loki's head tilts to the side in mild amusement. The flames soon die down. Loki peeks down the hallway where the flames emerged to see the result. The guardians, along with everything else, burnt to a crisp.

The Loki chuckles to himself.

"Looks like Aquila's having fun," he says.

With that, he darts down the hallway to his left. It was an elegant hallway that was typical of Orokin architecture. It was, also, laden with radiation traps and trap floor triggers. This was also typical of Orokin architecture. Being familiar with it, Loki bypassed them harmlessly before coming to an ornate looking door. The markings that decorated it flowed to the center where you'd expect a handle to be. Instead, an indented mold in the odd shape of a void key resided. The Loki walked up to the door and placed a blank void key in the mold. The door seemed to come to life as he tinkered with a digital screen that projected out from the key itself.

"'Quila is really a genius for coming up with this.'" the Loki mentioned as he tinkered with the display. A clicking sound was heard after a few moments. A golden light ran from the key out through the markings on the door; which began to open. The Loki wasted no time and ran into the room. The room was smaller than most vaults he had come across; which was unusual. The Orokin were known for making everything uniform. They were bland like that. So, for the room to be unique in this manner spoke to its importance. It also meant that he was more likely than not to find what he was looking for. Tables lined the walls of the vault with canisters sitting both on and under them. The Loki filed through them; taking miscellaneous items such as credits and minerals that would prove useful for the Tenno. Under the table in the very back of the vault was an important looking safe that sat within' an open canister. The Loki picked it up and started turning it in his hand curiously.

"You sure took your time in getting here." Said a voice from behind him.

The Loki turned to find an Ember warframe leaning against the door. A unique design of pink and blue wrapped around the feminine body. An ethereal peach-colored glow radiated off of her in varying intensities. The glow was brightest at the top of her head and to on the appearance of flames. In fact, they were flames.

"Hehe, I took the scenic route." The Loki responded sheepishly.

"Besides, I wanted to let you have your fun. Too bad I missed it." You could hear the smirk in his voice.

The Ember shook her head, but the Loki could tell by her posture that she had a satisfied smile on her face.

"So what you got there?" She asked; eyeing the container in his hand.

"No, idea, I found it in a cache tucked in the back." He responded pointing in the proper direction.

She ignored him as she turned the object over quickly before running it through a scanning device she brought with her. She stood stock still after reading the results.

"This is it. Dammit Johan, you found it!" She screamed excitedly

"Great! …What did I find?" Johan asked, slightly confused.

"You know, you never really explained why we were mining these vaults." He said absentmindedly.

"This conversation will have to wait, Operators!" a third voice cut in.

"What's wrong Ordis?" Aquila exclaimed.

"There is an – _UNGODLY!—_ enormous amount of Corrupted heading to your position. Whatever you found must be interesting! I've never seen them in this large of a number. Ordis recommends you head to extraction – _NOW!"_

The two were gone from the vault before Ordis was even finished. Running back towards the intersection, they were met with an army of Corrupted. Some were infected crewman and what used to be moas and ospreys. Others were obviously what used to be grineer and they were led by some particularly strong looking guardians.

"Don't suppose we should try and take these guys out, do you?" Johan asked his sister.

The Corrupted rushed towards them; energy flaring amongst them.

"That's a big Hell No! I don't have the energy for anything beyond crowd control at the moment, and you're pretty useless with Loki here. No offense."

"None taken. Scale up this wall. Quick!"

The two ran up the wall towards the ceiling; Corrupted crewman piling under them. Johan spotted a corrupted Moa hanging towards the back of the group; preparing one of its long range attacks. Right before it fired, Johan grabbed Aquila and did a switch teleport; which switched their positions with it. The Moa appeared above the charging Corrupted. Firing a toxic bomb that exploded amongst them, it disoriented the rest. Two well-placed rounds from Aquila's tonkor blew the mob apart; obliterating some and blowing back the rest.

"Splatter and scatter! I like it!" Johan laughed.

"Let's move before they regroup; extraction isn't too far from here" she responded.

As soon as she said that, more Corrupted poured out of an adjacent hallway; firing at them. The hallway opened up to a patio overlooking a beautiful. Not bothering with the steps, the siblings vaulted off of the patio's railing, through the waterfall and landed in a forward roll before sprinting down the final pathway. They boarded the ship which quickly departed the derelict; sprinting off into the Void.

* * *

The Tenno Research Lab in the Strata Dojo is one of, if not, the most advanced of its kind in the galaxy. Throughout the room were bits and pieces of the most ambitious endeavors the Tenno were undertaking. This has been the home for Johan and Aquila for several months. After their meeting with the Lotus, the two spent the first few months farming any and all resources they would need for their trip to the other side of the void. They didn't want to run into the issue of being short of supplies. After, that the twins split up. Johan spent his time on the construction of new Orbiter. The Mantis, for all its speed and power, was a landing craft. It didn't have the space or power for extended space flight. There was no guarantee that they'd be able to land anywhere; so, they needed to build a ship that could act as a mobile base. They needed another ship more like the Orbiter, but smaller. It was no easy task, but with the additional effort of the Tenno engineers, Johan and done it. Meanwhile, Aquila led a team of Tenno scientists and engineers in the project of constructing a void key that could send them to the other side of the Void. They spent the majority of a month traversing the fringes of the Void in order to find the best place to construct a gate to transport them through. At the Lotus's suggestion, they built the gate with the intention of destroying it after the journey. They did not want to chance that the Grineer, Corpus or, even worse, the Sentients could find it. They would have to construct the gate again to allow them back across; but, that wouldn't be any trouble. They were keeping notes on everything that went into the gate.

When she wasn't heading that project, she'd drag Johan on vault runs to collect data resources. For what; Johan didn't know. Aquila had been a bit distant as of late; always darting off into the lab after everybody else had left. Occasionally, she'd have a team of engineers in with her. Largely, she was in there alone.

After returning from their most recent vault run, Aquila made a beeline for the lab with Johan's findings in tow. His curiosity had finally gotten the better of him; with his project complete, he had time to snoop.

Aquila's fingers were dancing all over the console; dragging 3D images into templates and adding what appeared to be blueprints to the templates as well. She didn't even notice the sound of the lab door opening and closing. A container extended down from the ceiling as Aquila continued typing. In it, were two identical organic looking figures. To Johan, they looked sort of like Warframes; only… bland…. would be how Johan would put it. There were no outstanding features from what he could see. They were a bit on the slim side. In fact, they looked similar to the Zariman suits the Tenno wore as in the Somatic Link. Grey in color, shiny black accents and an aerodynamic-looking helmet with a visor; the only difference was the suit was covered in this sort of shimmering armor that looked almost invisible. There were refracted rainbow-colored lights that would ripple across it every now and then; so, you could tell it was there. Johan shook his head of the jumbled thoughts and tip toed up behind his sister. None the wiser she added their most recent treasure from the vault run into the center of these two 'frames.' Then she finished doing some kind of configuration before the two suits hummed to life with a white energy coursing through them.

"I can't believe it's done." She muttered to herself.

"What's done?" Johan whispered next to her hear.

Big mistake.

Aquila, startled, whipped around with an elbow and connected squarely with her brother's jaw sending him careening across an empty lab table and onto the floor.

"Dammit Johan, you scared me!"

Johan just lay there on the ground with stars in his eyes.

"The pain is totally worth it!" he said with a huge grin.

"You're a childish little shit, you know that?" Aquila said, shaking her head.

"I was just curious as to what you keep sneaking off to." He responded. He sat up but still remained on the floor; reaffirming his sister's childish comment.

"So…what, you're building a new Warframe?" Johan asked curiously.

Aquila smirked.

"Something like that…" She said mysteriously.

"Wait, seriously? Well, I'm sure it's possible, but I was kidding! You're really making one?!" Johan said; getting more excited by the minute.

"You'll have to wait and see with Lotus tomorrow. We need to meet with her about our little trip." She said in a tone that left no room for a response. Then, she grabbed Johan by the neck of his suit and started dragging him towards the lab's exit.

"Now out with you, I want it to be a surprise; so go make yourself useful elsewhere!" She said; throwing him out the lab. It was as amazing a feat as it was amusing; seeing Johan bounce, and then, skid across the Relay floor. Several Tenno, going back and forth between their own business, chuckled at the sight.

* * *

 ** _The next day…_**

Lotus stood at the edge of a docking bay looking out at the new Orbiter. Compared to the others, it's much smaller; as it's only meant to house two Tenno. Though it looks like the Scimitar landing craft, it's three or four times larger, and, has a much larger, rotund body. Amazingly, it stilled maintained its sleek design. The wings were anchored by two arms with clamps on the end that extended from the dock to hold the ship as it hovered in place above it. Two tone in color, the ship starts as a light, frosty, sky blue in the front, and darkens into a midnight blue in the rear with the black thrusters tucked in the back. All and all, it was quite beautiful; or so the Lotus thought. Lotus looked behind her and saw Johan and Aquila walking towards her. Johan was, for once, in casual Tenno clothing; a black short sleeved shirt, gray pants and matching shoes that looked like they were made for running. Aquila was garbed in the weird frame-looking suit she was working on in the lab yesterday. Lotus smiled at their arrival and greeted them warmly.

"Johan, Aquila; the time has finally come for us to make our final preparations. It has been nearly a year and you have worked nonstop since we began this task. I want you to know that I and the rest of your fellow Tenno are incredibly thankful for undertaking what is perhaps the most dangerous mission we've come across. I hope that there are no reservations before we move forward. Even though the moment of truth is almost at hand, I want to be sure"

"We're ready" Aquila responded immediately. Johan nodded in agreement.

"We're honored to be the ones carry this out" He added.

Lotus's smile got even brighter.

"Very good, my Tenno. Johan, I believe you had a major hand in the construction of this…Orbiter? I guess we can still call it. I take it it's ready for departure?"

"Yes Lotus, I finished transferring Ordy over to her last night. By now he has completely integrated with the ships systems and we should be good to go whenever you're ready." Johan stated proudly. Lotus chuckled internally at Johan's name for Ordis. She did admire Johan's carefree personality. Besides the fact, he and his team worked damn hard for this. They had a right to be proud.

Lotus then turned to Aquila.

"And Aquila, the void gate's construction is complete. We couldn't have done it without your help."

A light blush colored Aquila's cheeks. Still, she stood proudly

"Happy to help Lotus! I guess the gates ready?" She inquired.

"All construction is complete. However, I believe we will coordinate the opening of the gate and the beginning of your journey with a few well-timed collection of missions in Corpus and Grineer controlled space. We've had no indication that anybody is on to what we're planning. All that data is as secure as I can make it and the only ones with any direct, in-depth knowledge apart from the few Tenno leaders involved are you two. Still, an added distraction doesn't hurt." Lotus finished with a smile.

"Now, Johan, I do believe you have a ship to show us."

Lotus stepped to the side and allowed Johan to take the lead. As they approached the ship. Ordis chimed into their comm system.

"Operators and Lotus! Ordis is so happy with the new Orbiter! – _We got a damn UPGRADE! —_ Ordis also would like to thank Operator Johan for the opportunity to sync with this ship. There are many places I see that can benefit from a few additional tweaks I can— "

Johan held his hands up in a placating manner. Aquila laughed while Lotus simply smiled.

"Slow down Ordy! First off, you're welcome. Wouldn't have any other Cephalon than you joining us. Secondly, any tweaks you see fit to make, you have my go ahead. Just make sure to inform us of anything drastic. Now could you let us on so I can give Lotus and the sis a tour?" Johan said patiently.

"Of course Operator! My apologies, I got a bit excited. Extending hatch now."

A panel opened up at a forty-five-degree angle beneath the ship and extended down to the dock. The three walked up the panel; which retracted behind them as they walked, before it lifted it them up into the ship.

The inside was mostly an exact replica of the ship they were in before, but with more space. Johan gave the tour making note of the changes he'd done to each area. They started in the cargo hold; which is what used to hold the Somatic Link. The only thing housed in it at the moment was a pitch black Liset that lit up with a white energy coursing through it as they walked by. The hacking software in it had been upgraded. Though, he left room for Aquila to had her own touch to it. She had a keener mind for adding the those hella advantageous quirks to get you out of a tight spot. He'd let her know as much on several occasions. He told her he'd like her to 'beef it up' when she got the chance. Aquila laughed at him but agreed in the navigational area; the only major change being in the data it displays. The engineers upgraded the scanning system of the ship; enabling it to describe any planet or moon in accurate detail. Everything from organic life and stability to climate and age could be determined by the scans. This impressed both Aquila and Lotus.

"That is going to be very useful!" Lotus commented absentmindedly. Johan just shrugged. "Don't praise me Lotus. Aquila gave me the idea during one of her crazy techno-ramblings and the engineers are the ones that made it happen. I just helped integrate it. "he said. Aquila gave him a look at that ramblings comment but didn't say anything else. Johan probably would have gotten punched had Lotus not been here. A fact he was thankful for. Her punches hurt.

Next was the codex. Not much needed to be done here, but on the off chance that there were any spacefaring races out there, Johan decided it might be best to learn all they could and keep a record of any data they find. Aquila was proud of him for his foresight. Not that she'd tell him that. When he actually got serious about something he was a genius in his own right. And she rather liked him when he gets into his serious mode. On the few occasions where she's witnessed it. They've had quite the enlightening conversations.

Next Johan led them to the foundry and Armory which was stocked to the brim with all types of ammo. Johan had built a station for sharpening the melee weapons as well as making more ammo for when they get low.

"Nice! "Aquila said before eyeing some the racked weapons, eyeing some the racked weapons. Boltor, twin grakatas, Nikanas, swords and daggers, both ether and heat, Orthos, a couple of Ankyros (Aquila's personal favorite in close quarters) and others, but two particular weapons caught her attention. "Lanka and Dread? Since when do you do Long range?" Aquila asked in shock. She drooling internally; plotting for a way to take those two weapons for herself. "I do use the Daikyu on occasion you know!" Johan said in a huff. Lotus was quite amused at his pouting face. "Besides," he said. "Those two are for you." Aquila went bug-eyed. "What?!" she exclaimed. "I got tired of you using my Daikyu." He said with a smirk. "And when we were upgrading the weapons on the Orbiter, I took a few of the guys' ideas that I thought might translate well to a few of the rifles we have. The Lanka seemed to fit the best so I modded the hell out of it. I know you're attached to your Vectis, but I'd say this is the best sniper rifle Tenno hands have ever forged!" He boasted 'humbly' "And the Dread, well, that took some doing, but it's modded up pretty decently; draws faster and packs a more powerful punch than the Daikyu." Aquila pecked her brother on the cheek before rushing to her new sniper rifle.

"Now who's the child?" Johan said laughing. Aquila glares at him. "Shut it before I shoot you with my toy!" She screamed at him; causing Johan to laugh harder. Johan's laugh was halted by a smack to the head…but, not from Aquila.

"Children…," Lotus muttered.

The trio exited the door to the Foundry and entered the door directly across on the other side of the door leading to the cargo area. This was the residential area' complete with two individual bedrooms on either side and a small meditation area directly in front. The Tenno weren't much for decorating, but this area had a distinct homey feel to it that Aquila enjoyed. Aquila is talked almost immediately upon entering the room.

"Down Sasha!" She says laughingly. Johan does a quick whistle and the purple and white raksa kubrow climbs off of his sister and sits at feet. Her back to him; turns and gives him a look. Sighing, he squats down to give her a loving ear scratch. Once satisfied she disappears once again; likely to nap in one their beds.

"I think that invisibility imprint worked a bit too well on her, I didn't even see her coming." He said.

"It's either that or the crossbreeding," Lotus responded. "Her father was a huras if I'm not mistaken," She thought aloud before motioning for the two to follow her back to the cargo hold.

Once there the Lotus turned to Aquila.

"Now my child, I do believe it's time for you to reveal your little side project. I admit, I'm most anxious to see the results." Lotus said. Johan's eyes widened before staring at his sister.

Smiling, Aquila stepped away from Johan. Clearing her throat, she said, "Johan do you remember our last vault mission, the one where you found that safe?" Johan nodded.

"Well, that was a unique core of Nitain and Rubedo that the Orokin were experimenting on. What they were using it for is unknown; as they had only just started messing with mixing resources shortly before their demise. There isn't very much of it in existence. I had only happened across small samples of it in an old Orokin lab that was barely intact. It wasn't enough to do anything with, but it's unique properties gave me the ability to finish my little project. I needed another sample large enough to compare the one I had created to. That last derelict we raided was main one where the experiments were taking place. So I was the most likely spot to find this 'rube-nitain' as I've come to call it." She explained. Johan's eyebrows raised slightly. It sounded cool. "But what about those weird 'frame looking things you were working on in the lab yesterday? What did this resource allow you to do.?"

"This…." She said.

Suddenly, the suit she was wearing…fluctuated…for lack of a better word. It turned out it was like a warframe; in the sense that it was technocyte. The flesh stretched over her head and formed the perfected version of the suit. The same one he saw yesterday.

"This, dear brother, is a Delta-Frame; the next step in Tenno Evolution, I think. Remember after we had gotten the rube-Nitain; when all those corrupted surrounded us and we had to combat with just Ember and Loki, two very vulnerable frames in that situation? Well, what if we could switch Warframes in the heat of battle. Not like transference between missions, but the opposite; what if we could switch between WarFrames at a moment's notice? "Johan's jaw practically hit the floor; Lotus smirked.

"Delta-Shift: Mesa" Aquila called out. Suddenly, Aquila's suit came to life as she slowly took the form of her Mesa Warframe; armor, mods and all. "Holy Shit!" Johan exclaimed.

'Delta-Shift: Ember" Suddenly the Mesa seemed to shimmer before the fluctuation thing happened again; panels shifting and changing colors. And, then, she was Ember. "What the shit! That's incredible Aquila! And you maintain powers and everything?" Johan asked; still not quite believing it. Aquila nodded.

"You can mod each frame separately as you please. Just use the Arsenal interface like always. The Delta-Frame can store and shift between up to seven warframes at the moment. I'm working on expanding that number, but I haven't had any luck yet. It starts acting wonky when you try and add an eighth. "Aquila explained.

Although Lotus knew about the project; as Aquila had come to her with the idea and often consulted Lotus about the inner workings that were coming between the Warframe. Even still, she did not expect such groundbreaking achievement.

"This is…. far beyond what I expected you to accomplish with this Aquila! This would make Tenno much more versatile in the field." Aquila nodded. "Exactly we'd be able to on the frame ideal I the situation. It would help deal with the unpredictable variables that occur within missions. Though I'm afraid Lotus that I used up all of the rube-Nitain we were able to recover. That was the key piece in making everything work. I'm currently not able to mass produce it." She said sadly.

"Nor would it be wise to. We have many enemies that could exploit this new technology before we were able to properly acclimate to it as well as protect it. Is it fully functional?" Lotus asked.

Aquila nodded again. "Yes, I've given both Delta-Frames several intense test runs both in the lab and in missions over the last several months. They work as well as any warframe."

"Both?" Johan said hopefully; puppy-dog eyes in full effect.

"Yes, Johan, both." She said, laughing. Did you really think I'd be so unfair as to not make one for you— "her breath was suddenly absent in her lungs and Johan forced all of it into the air with the hug he was giving her. "I love you and your big smart, innovative brain!" he said twirling her around. Lotus couldn't help but chuckle. Seeing an Ember hugged and twirled around like that is something you don't see every day.

"Well, I don't see why you can't use these for this mission. I find that they'll be safest in your hands. Though, a spare Warframe or two may not hurt. I'll leave that up to the two of you." Lotus said finally.

"Where's mine?" Johan said excitedly.

"It's on your bed in your room. Though I left it blank so you'll have to configure the frames you want to store in it. I'll train you in how to use it in the dojo later. For now, we need to finish meeting with the Lotus" Aquila said resolutely.

"You're right, sorry for the informality Lotus. I kinda lost myself." Johan said

"No apologies necessary my child. In fact, I'd say that concludes everything I wanted to get an update on. I believe we're all ready for the void jump. I'll give you a day or so to get your affairs in order and say your goodbyes. When you have finished all your preparations I will meet you back here." The siblings nodded as the Lotus left the Scimitar. The two look at each other. They knew their mission. Find out more information about Hunhow and if there are more like him. Their Secondary mission was to find out more about the larger galaxy. Are Protheans still at play or are there more species out there that have taken over? It was such an incredible undertaking; but, they were ready.

The few days passed quickly. Lotus stood docking bay of the Strata relay where the Scimitar was held. Aquila and Johan were in front of her; both of them in their Delta-Frames minus the helmet. Behind the Lotus, almost every Tenno in the station had gathered. The brightest smiles were on the faces of the two siblings as they scanned the crowd. They were so proud to do this for their people; to secure a future for all Tenno. After what seemed like a Lotus stepped up to them.

"My children, Tenno, you have been chosen to make an important mark not only in our history but, our future. Together we have conquered the Orokin established a community amongst ourselves; and now, search for a home and for peace. We all have a part to play in bringing that dream to reality. But I think we can all agree that no parts are bigger than the ones that you two have taken upon yourselves. Johan, Aquila you two are our best chance at bringing that dream to reality. I wish you luck and peaceful travels as we work for that reality. My love and my faith are in you." She said.

Aquila struggled to keep the tears from falling with Johan not fairing much better. Despite the emotional moment, they stood a little bit straighter.

"We won't fail our people. FOR THE TENNO!" They shouted! Fist raised high. The entire relay shouted it back as the siblings boarded the ship. The clamps had already started unfastening from the wings of the Scimitar as the thrusters flared to life.

Inside, Aquila kneeled in the navigational interface and plotted a course for the Void. "Coordinates received Operators, en route now." Ordis chimed. And, right on cue, the Scimitar turned and shot into space. Once in the Void, Aquila had set a course for the gate. The gate would be activated on their signal, and they'd have a few minutes to reach the gate before, by design, it collapsed on itself. Tenno operatives would come by later to collect the wreckage. With that knowledge in mind, they made their way across the far end of the Void.

"This is crazy sis,." Johan said looking out the window pane in front of navigation.

"It i," Aquila said walking up to stand beside her brother.

"Scared?" He asked curiously.

"Apprehensive. I wonder what we'll find on the other side." She responded.

"Well, we're about to find out. It's as exciting as it is crazy. To go where no Tenno has gone."

"Do you think the Protheans still exist?" Aquila asked?"

"I doubt it. If there are more like Hunhow out there, and I bet there are. I don't see how they would have survived."

"That's true I suppose, but the galaxy still exists. So I imagine something is still out there. I always wondered what it'd be like to meet another species that's not out to kill or dissect you." She said thoughtfully.

"You know I don't think I ever thought about it like that." He said; surprising himself.

She barked out, laughing.

"Not everyone is out the kill us, 'Han. At least I like to think that's true."

"It's a positive outlook; so let's go with it." He said, smiling. She smiled Too.

"Operators, we're approaching the gate. Also, the Lotus would like to speak with you." Ordis said.

Turning to the right of navigation a small hologram appeared on a virtual screen. It was as if the Lotus had suddenly appeared in the ship.

"Johan, Aquila, I sense you are near the gate are you prepared to make the jump?" she asked.

"We are Lotus," Aquila said.

"Good, I feel I must express again how proud of you I am. I should be able to establish communication once you are on the other side. The Void has not posed any problems with communication but I fear it is best not to send any data back. We can't ensure its safety thru the Void. So, this will be our primary form of contact. I will not be able to direct you much through your mission, though. I'm entrusting you to make the decisions for what you do and how you do it. Meanwhile, I'll focus on maintaining the Tenno cause here. If anything of importance arises, do not hesitate to contact us. You have the blank Void Keys and all the tools need it to build another portal back to the void should you need to come back for any reason. And remember my children: We are One We are Tenno. I wish you well. Opening the Void gate now." And with that, the Lotus was gone.

The two turned to see four pillars come to life in front of the Scimitar; which had come to a stop. The pillars spun close together before stopping and splitting off in different directions. As they split, a rippling circle expanded with them. An edge of the circle was seemingly attached to each of the pillars. And the pillars appeared to be unraveling the circle. The fringes of the void had appeared before their very eyes; and with it, the Tenno got their first look at the rest of the galaxy. There was nothing but stars in sight. Well, almost nothing. As the circle expanded to its full width, an object came into view. This object was massive. So much so that the both of the Tenno's eyebrows were raised. It easily dwarfed any single construction they had ever seen. The closest thing to it would have the be the collection of underwater Grineer bases where they had defeated Tyl Regor. The object looked like a two-pronged fork of some sort. At the base, end emitted a brilliant blue energy with two rings of metal spinning around it.

"Well, that's certainly impressive," Aquila said. Johan could only nod.

"Operators, one minute until the portal collapses- _HURRY UP!_ shall I proceed?" Ordis said urgently."

"Yes Ordis, post-haste," Johan said chuckling.

"You probably could have fixed that little tick" Aquila muttered.

Johan shrugged.

"Eh, I didn't have the heart." He said as the Scimitar sped thru the Void gate mere seconds before it collapsed.

* * *

 **And…BOOM! Chapter 2! I've completely setup the Warframe side of things to my own satisfaction. And now, it's time to get into the meat of the story! The Tenno have just departed for the rest of the galaxy where they'll encounter the world of Mass Effect. I'm so frickin' excited you won't believe.**

 **Three REALLY IMPORTANT things before I sign off. I have several character ideas for Shepard. I've sort of narrowed it down to two. Neither changes my story, but it does change shipping and character development so I'll let you guess help choose. YOU HAVE TO REVIEW; otherwise, I can't see your choice. The choice is simple: One Shepard (haven't decided between male or female) or I do the classic sibling Shepards (male AND female). I have pretty good story arcs for both and I'd like to think they are at equal strength but the reader's opinion may or may not sway me either way.**

 **That was the first thing. The second thing is where or where in the ME story shall the Tenno drop in? Right now, I'm leaning quite heavily towards ME1 but I'm entertaining the idea of ME2. ME3 will be too short for the story I had in mind. I'm committed to making this a complete story to the end, if not, past the events of ME3 so don't worry; we will get there. You guys have a full 3 months for me to write as much as possible. These chapters will be coming up pretty frequently so don't worry I'm not going to start a good thing and quit. I've read way too many on FF to know what that's like to a reader. And the fact that I'm writing this at all, means that I think this can be an awesome story. So, let me know whether you like ME1 or ME2. No guarantee I'm going with your choice, but I do at least wanna hear your say.**

 **FINAL THING and probably the one you all want to know the most. The Delta-Frame. DID YOU LIKE IT? IS IT GOOD? I HOPE IT'S GOOD! If your first complaint is: WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE? WE NEED DESCRIPTIONS! Well, I have them! Actually, I have PICS! Below; I've how to see pics of every Warframe I've given to Johan and Aquila Don't judge on my rank and stats cuz I only made these load outs so you can get a full visual of them lol. and I'm sticking with gender if you haven't noticed ('Han's getting the guy frames and 'Quila; the girls) I thought that this was a good way to limit them from being too OP and ensure variety, and I've tried to mimic that in the frames I've chosen. Over time, I may work out where they add an additional frame or two; but, for now, Here's what I got. And note: I HAVEN'T DECIDED ALL 7 FRAMES FOR THEM YET! So you can chime in on the rest.**

 **Well, I think that be's the end of it for now. Here're the links and I'll see ya next time! Review!**

 **Ok! For pics: "post" + "img" + "org" (I think y'all can figure that out.) Then, enter the text below at the end it. Let me know whether it works or not.**

 **Thanks!**

 **Aquila: /gallery/2265hy9l6/**

 **Johan: /gallery/2wjyvvjm2/**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 is here! I'm sorry for those of you who may be bored by all the setup in the first few chapters. I promise it's going to pick up soon! (I've never written a fanfic before, let alone anything that's going to be as long as this when I'm done; so bear with me) Obviously with this new chap; I've made my decision on where they'll be entering the ME verse. You'll know pretty much off bat so I won't spoil it here. I hope you enjoy what I have planned. Before I get started I'm going to start responding to reviews. So expect this to be a reoccurring thing in the future.**

 **DeathTheManiac: I know they are kinda OP at the moment. That's partially intentional. This isn't one of those crossovers where The TENNO (or some other protagonist from another story) comes in and just OP's their way thru without any sort of struggle. That's a boring story. The Reapers aren't even the biggest threat here…not directly anyway. You'll see some of what I'm talking about here and it'll be a slow build so, if you would, be patient. My main struggle w/ this is setting up all the pieces while maintaining interest. I like your review tho…keeps me honest.**

 **zealous specter: Johan and Aquila are still REALLY surface level. So I definitely get how you're getting that vibe from Johan. I will say that both of them** **both** **are badass protagonists and I will not be having Johan follow that archetype that you initially expressed concerns about. I hate that caricature myself, so I'm sure you'll like what I end up doing with him. They both have faults also. Both of them, actually, are in for some really cool character development chapters. I have it set where and when that'll happen. You'll get flashes of it here and there until then. I'll try not to keep you waiting long.**

 **All: some people have expressed preferences for shipping and such I'll admit some of your ideas hold promise. I'm going to try my damnedest to give each ship I make some depth tho. I'm new to writing in this form so if you see ways to improve it. Say so. I won't be telling you who's going to be with who. That would be cheating you out of the story. I don't have any of them set yet anyway. And I'll be answering your question about the Tenno lifespan in a few chapters!**

 **ONE MORE THING. I've also heard that ppl are having troubles with the pics. If anybody has a better method or suggestion for how I can make the pics of the warframes available to you all, PLEASE SAY SO!**

 **That's all for reviews; now, on with chappie 3!**

* * *

 _ **Titan Nebula – 2173**_

The Titan Nebula stood on the would-be fringe of the galaxy. With very few planets, and none of them habitable, virtually no life existed here. The only thing that even moved; besides the orbiting planets, was the two inner woven rings of the Mass Relay's core. The construct hummed absentmindedly in the darkness. It was the only thing emitting like other than the star at the far end of the system. If one were to look towards that sun from the Relay at this moment, the star would seem to ripple. More accurately the area of space in front of it distorted. The distortion lasted only for a minute or two. Then, it seemed to fold away; revealing a blue, sleek looking ship shooting towards the relay.

"Well, that was anticlimactic."

"We travel to and from the Void all the time Johan. It always happens like that."

"I guess I was hoping for some huge dramatic reveal; not for us to just blink and suddenly be in the rest of the galaxy."

"Is this the rest of the galaxy? It looks empty."

"Maybe everyone's asleep."

"… Really?"

"What? It could be night time."

"Operators, sorry to intrude. The jump was successful, however communications did take a small amount of damage and it will take time to recalibrate. Until then, we will not be able to converse with the Lotus. My apologies."

"It can't be helped Ordy, but thanks for the info. We'll just have to get started without her. Well, sis, what's our next step?" Aquila stood looking at the Mass Relay in thought.

"There appears to be nothing of significance in sight; save, for this thing. Ordis, mind giving this construct and in depth scan for me?"

"Already on it, Operator Aquila! - Hmm, it appears the glowing blue sphere in the middle of those rings is a high concentration of that altered form of rubedo. I have no idea who constructed this, but it's quite impressive. It appears to be a transporter of some kind. Not entirely unlike a Void gate, but if I had to guess, I'd say it points to somewhere else in the galaxy."

"That would explain the emptiness." Johan said

"Yes, it would make sense. The galaxy is made of numerous star clusters. These devices must allow travel between them." Aquila theorized.

"This must be one of those Mass Relays that Lotus mentioned." Johan realized.

"Yes that appears to be the case Operators. I think it somehow reacts with that altered form of Rubedo. It may be possible for us to take this path as well. We do have some spare samples I could use to test it." Ordis responded.

"Yes, Ordis; please and thank you."

"I will alert you when it's ready Operators." Ordis blinked out after that.

"I guess we better gear up; just in case." Aquila said.

They made their way to the armory. Aquila's Delta-Frame shifted into her Mesa. Simultaneously, Johan shifted to Excalibur. Johan equipped himself with a soma rifle and modded it for corrosive damage. He attached the rifle to left side of his back before perusing a few side weapons before settling on twin bolto pistols. He decided to spend the rest of his time sharpening his Skana. Meanwhile, Aquila strapped her Dread across her back along with the quiver. She chose the twin grakata pistols as her secondary and, attached them to the middle of her back. The peacekeepers had already occupied the holsters on her thighs. She chose the twin ether swords as her melee weapons and snuck them on her back behind her bow. While her brother was working on his sword, she decided to play with the mods on her bow. She secretly hoped that somebody would force her to use it.

 _Awhile Later…_

"I do believe we're ready to use the transporter Operators. I've deduced that the transporter reacts with a ship's drives. It's there that it reacts with that funny looking Rubedo and jumps the ship to another construct in the galaxy. I've masked our drives to mimic this with Rubedo. Since we don't actually use it in our drives, it took a bit longer than expected for it to sustain. But I have verified we can safely make use of – _THIS DAMNED THING—_ now."

"Excellent Ordis, thank you. Whenever you're ready." Aquila stated

The Scimitar made its way towards the Mass Relay. A blue tendril of energy reached out to connect with the ship; enveloping it. The ship responded with a red tendril of its own that encased the blue one. The energy intensified around the ship as it flew along the body of the Relay towards its forked end. In a flash of light, the ship suddenly shot off in a red streak. On the inside, the tenno gazed out the navigation window as the emptiness of space sped by them at an incredible speed. The two were taken aback by the experience. It ended all too soon as the Scimitar was ejected into another system. This one didn't look much different than the last. Next to the navigation window, Ordis appeared.

"That was exhilarating! Operators, we must do that again! OH!

I'm detecting a huge amount of lifeforms in this system. There may be a planet or station of some sort. Shall we investigate?" Johan laughed.

"Sure Ordis, take us in fast and quiet. Full stealth as well; at least until we find out what we're up against."

The Orbiter flickered out of sight as it sped through space. They could see this system's star off in the distance. It was a lot bigger and brighter than the one they had just left. After a few more minutes, a huge mushroom looking construct came into view. It had a dark rusted dome at the top and extended down for miles but decreased in width as it did. The dome section alone was bigger than that transporting construct.

"I'm making the assumption now that everything is huge over here. I'm already tired of being shocked." Johan said. Aquila barked out in laughter.

"Ordis, is this where you're picking up that activity?" She asked after calming down.

"Yes, it appears to be a station of some sort. A very lively one too!"

"Any chance we can get in there undetected?" Johan asked.

"Let's see…yes there are a number of openings we can exploit with the

Liset."

"Then let's do that. And be cautious of any systems you hack into

Ordis. Test their defenses, pick up any surface data you can; but don't go too

far beyond that. We don't want to set off any alarms. "Aquila stated.

"Understood." Ordis responded.

* * *

Johan and Aquila landed in what appeared to be a loading dock of some kind. Containers were strewn throughout the area and only a few ships were coming and going. At the far end of area sat a control tower Along with another doorway that they theorized led further into the station. The operators of these ships all had on red armor but they weren't all the same species from what they could tell. The two move silently inward; looking for a path to the rest of the station. Two menacing creatures walked past their position; chatting away in a language neither tenno understood. Johan and Aquila followed them; being sure to stay out of sight. The creatures passed thru a door which slid open at their approach. Reacting quickly, Johan and Aquila slipped thru behind them. They found themselves in and open cargo hold of some kind. Armored figures were everywhere.

"Don't suppose we could ask for directions?" Johan said jokingly

"Somehow, even if they could understand us, I doubt it." His sister responded.

The tenno quietly wall climbed to a catwalk that sat high above them; hoping to get a good view of the room. Unfortunately, they landed right next to one of the armored characters. This one was bulky with a huge ribbed head plate that attach to the rest of his humped body. He had a wide face that snarled at them. He roared before charging at Aquila, who hadn't seen him coming in time.

He rammed her back into the railing; flipping her over it. She righted herself midair before landing in a crouch. The rest of the armored group heard the big guy's roar, and so, every last one of them turned to her. Meanwhile the big guy was in pieces; his blood and flesh coating the business end of Johan's skana. Peering back over the railing he saw the armored people draw their weapons, well he assumed they were weapons, on Aquila. He, in turn, pulled the soma from his back.

Down below, Aquila held up her hands in a surrendering motion; throwing up her shatter shield discreetly as she did so.

"Sorry to drop in on you like this. We're new here and we were just looking for someone to answer questions. Could you help us?" She said, hoping they understood.

They responded with a torrent of gunfire.

The mass accelerated rounds pounded on her shields but did little damage to her. Sighing, she unclipped the Peacekeepers.

"I was hoping to not have to do this so soon after getting here." She said dramatically.

Spinning and twisting on the spot. Aquila cut down the red armored people. More came bleeding in from the door they had come through as well as the control tower. Johan fired on the ones from the tower. They appeared to have shields, but quickly fell to the soma's rounds; a few mutilated bodies later, and the tower was clear. Aquila advanced upon her new guests. Bullets bounced off of her shield; some ricocheting back into her attackers. As she got close, one of the bigger ones opted to club her with the gun instead shooting her. She spun around his attack; bringing one of the pistols around to discharge into his brain while simultaneously firing a second round thru the head of another. She clipped the pistols back to her thighs; sending a heel into the chest of one of the scrawnier ones as she did so. She pulled the grakatas out in the same motion and the rest of the group was down before they had time to think. One of the bigger guys managed to grab her from behind. Instead of panicking, she bent forward; lifting the mass of flesh onto her back before his back and the top of his head was cleanly sliced off. The culprit, an orange blade of energy which pushed on into the door; cutting through it and two more pieces of armored flesh that were waiting outside. Aquila shrugged the corpse off before nodding to her brother; who stood at the control tower with his skana at his side glowing an angry orange. 'He's gotten fucking accurate with those things' she noted.

"Split up or together?" Johan asked.

"Split up. Let's see what we can find here." She responded.

Johan made his way down doorway next to the control room. It led him to a stairway which opened up into what appeared to be the center of the station. Johan stepped back a bit; letting the door close in front of him.

'Delta-shift: Loki' Johan thought as his form changed. The feral animal looking Excalibur morphed into the darkness spawn, Loki, who walked towards the door; turning invisible as it opened.

* * *

Aquila went back out of the doorway they had entered initially and went further along the docks. She made away into a large building at the far end of the dock. There he found an outpost of some kind. Getting an idea, she patched her favorite

Cephalon in.

"Hey Ordis, can you scan this dock? Is there anybody else in here?"

"No hostiles detected operator. Already starting trouble, I see."

"I tried playing nice but they didn't want nice." She said, smirking.

"Anyway, Ordis there's a terminal of some kind in front of me; can you hack it?"

"Oh come now, don't insult my abilities Operator; I'm more than capable of handling their petty little systems. I've already completed my surface scans. It's yielded quite a few interesting finds! What would you like me to look for now?" Ordis responded excitedly.

"Everything; dig as deep as you can go. Start with searching for any information about the Protheans and the Reapers and expand to this modern galaxy. Any and all data needs to be recorded and organized. Oh, can you see if we can lockdown this dock discreetly? I would prefer not to have to kill my way through unknown species if I don't have to."

"Understood Operator. I shall have it completed momentarily."

After thanking Ordis, Aquila sent a message to her brother before calling the Liset. She imagined they'd have quite a lot to talk about once Ordis completed his findings.

* * *

Back on their orbiter, Aquila sat in the meditation room in the lotus position. She was trying to process everything she'd learned. In hacking the terminal, Ordis had found a connection to something called the Extranet. Which was basically a treasure trove of information about, well, everything. There was hardly anything about the machines like Hunhow, but she did find the info on the Protheans. It seems Johan was right. They were wiped out by sentient machines; the ones Hunhow came from most likely. The strange thing was that was absolutely no info on these machines. It's like they didn't even exist. She knew they did; but, no one here did. She did get a name for them though; the Reapers.

'Their name sure fits their functionality,' she thought.

After discovering the fate of the Protheans, Aquila turned to finding information about the galaxy today. She discovered that another civilization rose up on the ashes of the Protheans. This one was ruled by no particular race; but rather, a council of races. Asari, Salarians, and Turians primarily; with a multitude of other races cooperating with them. Aquila had become very interested in this society. She researched everything she could about them and their history. She committed every minute detail to memory and organized everything into codices for future reference. The diligence she gave to the task was a testament to the Naramon Focus. She was determined to know everything about this galaxy. The door behind her slid open. Johan entered; the Loki frame shifting back to its default armor as he walked. He came to a stop next to Aquila; taking his own Lotus position to meditate. Aquila shared the information Ordis had found. Johan took everything in stride; but if he were honest, he was puzzled.

"So this society is built off the Protheans' tech, but we know it isn't the Protheans'. So, who's is it?" Johan wondered.

"I'm not entirely sure." Aquila responded. A frown forming on her face.

"There's an even more important question." Johan said. His brow furrowed up tightly. This was just getting more complicated by the minute.

"There are supposed to millions of these Reapers; where are they? Wouldn't this civilization be wiped out too? I took a tour through the station, nobody seems to be in the midst of a battle. I don't even think the Reapers are here." Aquila agreed with Johan's line of thinking. The news was troubling; but if they weren't here; they'd come back. Hunhow is a testament to their habit of sticking around unnoticed. Aquila placed her money on them being in hiding somehow. The mission might have gotten a lot longer, but Aquila resolved to not being discouraged in the slightest. Nor would she allow her brother to be discouraged. She nudged his foot with hers; trying to send these thoughts to him. Johan sighed heavily and smiled. His sister was right. Finding the answers to their questions would not come easy or quick. Patience and perseverance would see them through.

With that, Aquila stood and stretched her limbs. The stiffness in her body faded away with the popping of her joints. She then leaned against the wall to get comfortable.

"Let's shift gears a bit," she said.

"We're not going to get anywhere with the Protheans or Reapers at the moment; so, let's focus on the galaxy itself. What did you find about this station?" Johan stretched his body as he fell backward. His hands rested behind his head as he gazed at the ceiling in thought.

"Not much really, they don't speak any language I've ever known. It seems like a hostile place. Everyone has a guarded disposition about them."

Aquila nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"I figured that when that red armored group tried to kill us on sight."

"We've gotten better hellos from the Grineer," Johan said. Aquila chuckled at that.

"I might be able to help with the language barrier." She said.

"Oh?"

"Turns out that terminal is connected to something called the extranet. It's this huge digital network that allows them to share just about everything. They developed these devices called omni-tools. They use them for all kinds of purposes; like a mobile terminal. It allows them to understand the languages of other species too. Modding our frames and tech to understand them shouldn't be too hard. Ordis was able to do it without any foreknowledge."

"That omni-tool idea sounds pretty handy, though." Johan chimed in thoughtfully.

"Imagine if we could get Ordy on That thing," Aquila said.

"That'd be amazing! We could out him to be like a combat drone with commentary. An expansion on his role in our fight wouldn't hurt. Besides, his comments when he glitches are pure comedy!" he said smiling; closing his eyes.

Aquila rolled hers before calling on the Cephalon in question.

"You rang Operators?" He said jubilantly.

"Yes, Ordis. Could you set us down in that docking bay? I would like a chance to run a few maintenance tests on the orbiter to make sure she's handling that Mass Relay well enough."

"Of course Operator Aquila. I managed to shut down every terminal accessing the area. I don't think anyone noticed so it should still be clear." Aquila nodded.

"Good once that's done and secure, shut down the ship and setup a few scanners in case someone gets thru. We're going to try and get some rest."

"Will do Operator, I do believe Operator Johan has you beat on that last notion." He said as he blinked out.

"Huh?" she said dumbly before looking down at her brother. His chest was rising and falling softly; accompanied by a light snore. Aquila shook her head as she made her way to her bedroom. She thought about waking him but decided against it. Her bed was calling her name. She was way too obliged to not answer.

* * *

*BANG! *

"—Uh, Operators?"

*BANG! * *BANG! *

"Operators…?

*BANG! * *BANG! * *BANG! *

"— _WAKE THE FUCK UP!— "_

Johan shot up into a crouch; energy coming to life in his hands. Aquila bust out of her bedroom with her own energy coming to life. Eyes darting around; looking for a threat.

"Operators, we have company! Someone is banging on the cargo doors. – _KILL EM! —_ please make them stop."

Aquila swiftly made her way to the cargo hold; grabbing her grakatas as she did so. Johan was right on her heels with his Soma. Both of their frames activated; encasing their entire bodies in the default armor. The cargo opens revealing a small band of mercs. There were led by a four eyed figure that Aquila recognized from their codex as a batarian.

Typically, not much surprises Bray anymore. Being Aria's bodyguard will do that to you. So when he got word that the largest Blood Pack outpost had suddenly went dark, he wasn't all too concerned. That was typical on Omega. Somebody makes a power move, Aria snaps their neck, and restores her order and dominance on the station. Nothing moves on Omega with Aria's say. It's the nature of the stupid to try and test that. But, when Bray saw the…carnage that was that docking bay, he knew this was anything but typical. The Blood Pack consisted of mainly Krogan and Vorcha; and their blood and flesh coated just about every inch of the cargo area. Bray saw a portion of a krogan's head just in front of him. It looked like someone sliced it clean off; through the hump and all. 'What the fuck could'a done this' He had thought. Then we made his way to the docks, the ship he saw only made all the more atypical. He knew right away that it wouldn't match any known design so he didn't bother scanning. He didn't even see a damn door on the thing. He and the west of his crew walked around it; inspecting it just to be sure. Yep, no door; so, he did about the only sensible thing he could. He took the butt of his gun to it.

Eventually, the orbiter's cargo bay doors opened and Bray's crew drew their guns. Two figures appeared wearing the strangest armor and weapons he had ever seen. Their armors were identical. A dark grey suit form fitting suit that seemed to bulge out same time. As if the armor itself was a contracted muscle. That description sounded weird even in his head; but, it's the only way Bray could come up with to describe it. The black accents in the suit looked like it would absorb all light in the universe if it could. Instead it just chose to stretch the grey, armored bulgy looking areas out. Aside from the armor, the weapons really got his attention. One of them, who he decided was female by the curves of her body, was holding what he deduced to be twin submachine guns of some type. They had a similar shape to the Locusts but they were almost twice as big. The other one held a rifle that looked like it was forged out of gold. He would have been impressed if those weapons weren't pointed at him and his men. He couldn't afford for this to get messy. He rather liked staying out of his boss's wrath.

"Alright, weapons down everybody. Aria will kill us if we make another mess for her to clean." At the mention of that name, all of Bray's men lowered their weapons. It was only then that Johan and Aquila lowered theirs; albeit hesitantly.

"Can you understand me?" Bray said gruffly. The tenno nodded slowly.

"Good, that'll make this easy. My boss wants to talk to you and she doesn't take no for an answer. So if you could make this easy, follow me."

The tenno looked at each other. Neither said a word that Bray or his crew could hear. Finally, one of them shrugged and motioned for him to lead as they slung their weapons on to their backs. Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Bray turned and led the group away. Johan and Aquila walked silently behind Bray as he led him through Omega. They looked around at all the different species. It was…humbling to realize how small you were in the grand scheme of life. Krogan, Asari, Turians, Humans, Salarians, Quarians, Volus, Drell, Elcor; Aquila was sure this station was bigger than their largest relay back in their home system. 'And this is only one station in one of several star systems' she thought. Not to mention, this was a space station. It wasn't the home planet for any of them. If there were this many here…yeah, the Tenno population paled in comparison; it wasn't even close.

That wonderment aside, Johan was right. This place was dangerous. There wasn't anybody getting mugged in the street or shot in the back…today. You could just feel it. You can just tell that almost everybody on this station had the ability to kill you. And if they didn't, they knew somebody who had the ability to kill you. Not that that was any different than life back in their own system. They thought that was an abnormality though; seeing as the Tenno were basically a warrior species who were always fighting for their lives. Surely it wasn't like that everywhere. Maybe, it wasn't. Here, though, that's definitely what it looked like.

Eventually, the maze of hallways, elevators and skycars led them to the entrance to Afterlife. The Tenno were a warrior species; the concept of luxury was foreign to them. So when they first laid eyes of Afterlife. I don't think the Mass Relays delivered as big a shock factor. The main bar sat in the center of the room. As they walked past, Johan and Aquila drew more than a few eyes. Their helmets were still on, so, naturally, many of those eyes didn't bother to hide their suspicion. Around the edges of the room were poles where scantily clad Asari and female Humans were dancing. Both Johan and Aquila were thankful that their helmets were on. No one could see them blush.

"This way," Bray said.

He led them down the side of the bar towards a stairway at the far end of the club. The rest of his men took their normal positions around the stairs while he, Johan, and Aquila went up them. At the top, the latter two were stopped by two turians who started scanning them with their omni-tools.

"Aria is just ahead, keep those weapons on your backs and there won't have to be trouble." One of them said.

Aquila glanced at her brother. One of the side effects of their time in the Somatic Link was that the Tenno developed a minor ability for telepathy. They couldn't read minds or anything complex. They were, however, able to communicate with other Tenno. It was the secret to their seamless coordination on group missions without having to utter a single word. Johan and Aquila, due to the amount of time they've spent with each other, were masters of this. Even by Tenno, standards they were extraordinary adept at being able to transfer thoughts, words or feelings between each other. Their link took the 'twin thing' to a whole new level.

" _Let's not cause conflict here. Remember our main goal is to observe and to learn."_ Aquila said over said link.

" _No arguments here…You wanna take the lead?_ " He replied. She nodded slightly.

" _Sure, I got it._ "

When the two turian guards had finished their scans, they stepped aside and motioned for them to move forward. Aquila and Johan walked up onto a platform that overlooked the club. Wrapped around the far edge of it was a comfortable looking couch. On it sat what Aquila recognized to be an Asari; information she relayed to Johan. They knew from the extranet that the Asari were an all-female race who were known for their diplomacy, long lifespan and their biotics, which Aquila discovered was the name for the 'Nova-esque' abilities that many of the species of this galaxy possessed. They were also stereotyped for promiscuity. ' _Probably due to how gorgeous they look_.' Aquila said absentmindedly. She wasn't aware that she had said that last bit over the link.

' _Definitely due to how gorgeous they look_ ' Johan said. The proof was right in front of them. This particular Asari was purple instead, of blue; quite a few shades darker than Aquila. She wore a white sleeved jacket over a black corset looking material that did little to hid the curves of her body. Johan's eyes were inadvertently tracing them. She wore form fitting black pants and boots that left very little to the imagination as well. Tribal markings framed her face perfectly and accented her purple eyes well. Even Aquila had trouble tearing her eyes away. For all the beauty this Asari held. Those same eyes had a coldness to them. A look they were all too familiar with. That brought the tenno back to reality as she spoke.

"I don't talk to people I can't see. Remove your helmets." She commanded.

The siblings looked at each other before shrugging. Their helmets dismantled before folding back forming an elegant crest around the neck of their armor. The asari eyed them suspiciously.

"You could pass for human but it's obvious that you're not. A human wouldn't be stupid enough to commandeer a dock on my station." She said.

"I take it you're the leader of Omega then." Aquila said. She laughed sinisterly with an amused glint in her eyes. Just as quickly, that amusement was traded for a hardened, cold stare.

"I AM Omega." She said firmly as she stood. She sauntered up to them slowly as she spoke her eyes never leaving theirs.

"I'm the boss, CEO, queen if you're feeling dramatic, it doesn't matter. Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule…" She said as she stopped right in Aquila's face.

"Don't Fuck with Aria."

" _I like her,"_ Johan said thru the link.

Aquila smirked, but otherwise didn't even flinch in response to Aria's rule. Neither of them did. This caused a smirk to appear on Aria's face as she turned around and sat back down in her previous seat. Fixing her eyes on the twins, she spoke again.

"Now, I have two questions for you. First, what the hell ARE you? And second what makes you think you can wipe out half of a group of mercenaries and take their dock, which I loaned to them, for yourself, hmm?"

"We are Tenno, and we wiped them out because they shot at us," Aquila said simply.

"Ten-no? Never heard of you." She said, her eyes narrowing,

"Nor would you, we come from a part of this galaxy that has been closed off from the rest of you since the time of the Protheans." Aquila responded offhandedly.

"I see, and you just happened to come to Omega…why?"

"Knowledge."

"Knowledge...Really?" Aria said accusingly.

"Yes, our little corner of the galaxy is much different from yours. This station just happened to be the first sign of life we came to. We were curious. That's it. Those Blood Pack mercs didn't need to the die, they chose to." She said emotionlessly. She was unfazed by the Asari's stare.

"For someone new to the galaxy you sure know a lot about it." That stare could rip out the soul of a lesser being; but, she wasn't dealing with a lesser being.

"I pride myself on knowing everything. The extranet your society developed made that quite easy."

That statement shook Aria's façade a bit.

"Wait, so you're not fucking with me. You're really not from this galaxy?" she said, this time, in astonishment. Aquila couldn't help but smirk.

"No, we're from this galaxy. We were just caught off. Every relay that connects to our system was destroyed."

"A relay, Destroyed!? Are your people insane!?" Aria screamed in shock. To have the power to destroy a mass relay…

"Technically, OUR people didn't destroy it." Johan chimed in.

"What do you mean?"

Aquila and Johan gave Aria a brief history of the Tenno origins. They left out the unimportant bits; the bits that could be used against them, and focused mainly on the Orokin's conflict with the Protheans and on thru the Old War. Anything mentioning the Void was also left out. They finished detailing the cover story for their current mission; which is actually just the secondary objective for their actual mission. They wanted to expand. Find a planet for themselves and learn more about the galaxy at large. It was still more than enough to leave Aria dumbstruck. She sat in contemplative silence for a few minutes before she stood. A serious expression was displayed on her face as she looked at them.

"If what you say is true, we may be able to form a partnership." She said slowly as she walked towards them.

"A partnership?" They said simultaneously.

"Yes, I believe I can assist you in acquiring knowledge, while you in turn assist me. The Blood Pack will hardly be effective after their presence on Omega being downsized. I allowed them to exist in exchange for fulfilling jobs for me. I would have you do the same and then some. You would be traveling all over the Terminus system which spans about half of the current galaxy. I may even have you do work in Citadel and Alliance space, but that will depend on if you impress me."

"There's got to be a catch," Johan said.

"No offense intended Ms. Aria, but you don't seem the type to do an unknown a favor like this." He said as his eyes narrowed in curiosity.

"There is one stipulation, I'm assuming you've delved into the Asari right am I right Ms. Tenno?"

"My name is Aquila Everis and yes, my brother, Johan and I have studied a bit on your species," she said professionally.

"Are you familiar with the Asari mind melds?"

"Not in detail, no," Aria smirked.

"I could give you the spiel about uniting all in a single glorious existence; but I'm not feeling dramatically inclined at the moment; so, to put it short, it would allow me to see and understand memories of your choosing. We would, for a moment coexist in each other's memories. And, I'll be able to discern whether your little story is truth." She said. Johan flinched at the explanation. His eyes hazed over as images started playing in his head.

 _A beast was feasting on a dead scientist in its cell; and then, chasing the remaining scientist through the ship. It had cornered them at the end of the hallway before a secret door opened and a huge arc of electricity hit the beast. It struggled to overcome the voltage, but, before it could, a strange weapon hit it in the head. A roar was heard— "JOHAN STOP IT!"_ Aquila yelled through the link.

" _You aren't there anymore, calm down."_ She said softly.

All this happened within a few seconds so Aria didn't notice Johan's lapse.

Aquila frowned; and not at Aria's suggestion. She would put it aside for now.

"Would you need to meld with both of us?" she asked as Johan turned to look her.

"No, one would suffice," Aria responded.

"Then I volunteer. I know you want to use us to further your own ends. However, that may serve us better than flying blinding throughout galaxy. With you, we can learn how this society operates. So with that in mind, I'll let you do your meld with me." She said tensely. She didn't like the fact that someone would be in her mind. But, if she tried anything, she could handle it. It would be a lot better than trying to enter Johan's mind. It's obvious now he still holds scars from that particular incident; not that she could blame him for it. She still had scars of her own.

Aria smiled as she walked directly in front of Aquila. It took everything in Johan to calm himself down. That little flashback shook him more than he'd like to admit. He knew the meld had to happen and the circumstances were different. He couldn't stop berating himself. He should be stronger than this. Aquila grabbed his arm to comfort and reassure him. He smiled graciously and nodded. She smiled back before turning back to Aria.

"So what do I do.?" Aquila asked.

"Close your eyes." She said sensually.

Johan took a guarded step back. He'd be ready if things went sideways.

Aquila closed her eyes as Aria placed her hands on the side her head. Aria took a moment to study her face up close. She would never admit it but their little conversation had her intrigued. Not to mention, she wasn't bad to look at. She could tell that Aquila would make quite the business partner; maybe even more. That alone gained a sliver of her trust. Even so, she had to be sure.

" _Embrace Eternity!_ "

* * *

 _ **10 years later…**_

" _Well what about Shepard? Earthborn… but no records of her family._ "

" _Doesn't have one. She was raised on the streets. Learned to look out for herself."_

" _She proved herself during the Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived."_

" _She's the only reason Elysium is still standing."_

" _We can't question her courage."_

" _Humanity needs a hero. And Shepard's the best we got."_

" _I'll make the call._

* * *

 ** _2183_**

 ** _Systems Alliance_**

 ** _SSV Normandy_**

"Thrusters… check. Navigation…check. Internal emissions sink engaged. Drift…just under 1500K." Joker said.

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus said blandly. The turian spectre turned on his heel and strode through the door behind him.

"I hate that guy," Joker said.

"Nihlus gives you a compliment….so you hate him?" Kaidan said

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out the bathroom, that's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!"

As the Normandy's pilot and co-pilot were having this discussion, a woman walked in. She was outfitted in standard Alliance N7 armor. Though it's doubtful they were made for curves like hers. It was standard for humans to get injections to ensure they were developed as perfectly as possible. Injections didn't give her the perfectly athletic body she possessed though. Deep red hair and emerald eyes observed the conversation Joker and Kaidan were having as she walked into the cockpit. Her stride said two things; elegance and strength. As beautiful as she was; she was twice as deadly. She heard most of their conversation as she was coming thru; resulting in the smirk formed on slightly pouted lips.

"Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him aboard. Call me paranoid." Joker continued.

"You're paranoid." Kaidan said. "The council helped fund this project they have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

"You always expect the worst." The woman said

"Well bad feelings are an occupational hazard. We don't go anywhere unless there's a good reason. So, what are we doing here— "

"Joker! Status report," a voice, Captain Anderson, said over the comm.

"Just cleared the mass relay Captain. Stealth systems engaged, everything looks solid.

"Good, find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission records relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime.

"Aye Captain, better brace yourself sir; I think Nihlus is heading your way.

"He's already here Lieutenant." Anderson responded sternly. The woman almost laughed at that.

"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing." Captain Anderson said. Joker turned to the red head behind him.

"You got that Commander?"

"I'm on my way," she said as she left.

"Pfft, is it me or does the Captain always sound a little pissed off?" Joker asked. Kaidan chuckled.

"Only when he's talking to you Joker."

* * *

 _ **Tenno System**_

The outermost edge of the galaxy in Tenno space is occupied mainly by stray asteroids. Occasionally, you'll find a comet or two, but mostly it is a barren area of space without much life. One of the larger asteroids contained the only surviving pieces of a derelict Orokin ship. The innermost chamber was an open area reached only by a single platform suspended in the hollowed heart of the ship. Kneeling on a platform was a figure surrounded in a black armor. The designs spoke of its Tenno origins. This armor was uniquely altered though; twisted into what any Tenno would call an abomination today. The figure had his head bowed in mediation as red machine like figures started appearing around him. The Sentient Battalysts's eye glowed a vibrant light that casted an eerie glow over the platform

" _ **Shadow."**_ A voice boomed. It echoed throughout the room with a sound like a collective of distant voices.

Shadow raised his head at the mention of his name. His fists were clenched in his lap. The stillness that enveloped his being would have been off-putting if anybody were there to see it.

" _ **Shadow, the time has come for you to redeem yourself."**_

Shadow's fists clenched tighter slightly.

" _ **A great boon exists for us beyond the Void; The time has come for my brethren to emerge upon the galaxy. With their arrival. The vengeance you seek will be attainable. The Tenno will be no more. Much must be done however…"**_

"Are you not forbidden from the Void? How will their assistance be of use?"

" _ **Neither you nor I will be able to acquire this boon as we are. By my hand, you must become something…greater."**_

Shadow's form shot up abruptly. The 'eyes' of the Sentients changed from a white to a malevolent purple. The same purple manifested in a shroud of energy that lifted Shadow off of the ground. Shadow's already fragile mind began to lose the last of its defenses as the shroud of energy continued to envelop him.

" _ **The anomaly that is your kind cannot be allowed to exist."**_

Shadow fell to the ground as the shroud disappeared. The red streaks of energy that coursed through his suit were now purple. He flared this energy as if it were a muscle that needed stretching. The Battlysts shot off to parts unknown as Shadow turned around and left the platform

" _ **The cycle must continue."**_

* * *

 ** _Omega_**

If you were to ask Johan to describe the galaxy as he's come to know it, it would be something like deposits of silver and gold in a huge pile of shit. There were shiny spots that were really beautiful and worthwhile; but it was largely, the same old shit he had to deal with back in the Tenno system. Only difference is that back home they were up front about it. The past ten years working for Aria only reinforced that idea. It may have been a biased opinion; since, most of their operations took place in the Terminus Systems. But, He had learned long ago that there was no real difference between light and darkness. There was only intention and the lengths you're willing to go to achieve it.

An asari bartender passed him another drink as he sat at his in Afterlife. Whenever he found downtime, Johan would sit at this same table in one of the corners of the room. He'd sat here enough times that, if he wanted, he could form a relationship with the strippers that danced on the poled platform to his immediate right. While he did occasionally enjoy watching them. They weren't the only ones he watched. He found solace in just observing people. Not that he could explain why, it was just intriguing; watching the world move around you. Everybody going about their business as if theirs is the only one that matters; priorities vying for dominance. It made him think of the Grineer and the Corpus. He didn't get to do it often; might be why he sort of cherishes these moments.

Often he would think about the Grineer and the Corpus and how they would fit in this society They Grineer wanted physical domination. Which was ironic. Their bodies dominated everything they did. Their abuse of cloning technology cut their lifespans to an abysmally short timeframe. If they didn't continue to clone themselves, they'd simply die out within a few years. How they saw themselves as the epitome of perfection was laughable. If they ever discovered the rest of the galaxy they'd take it over. Not that they would succeed, their numbers were great, but take their cloning away and time would kill them eventually…

'Why the hell didn't we think of that earlier!?' Johan chuckled to himself.

There definitely wasn't a place for them in this world. Not with their current way of life anyway.

The Corpus were all about money. They would do well on Illium. He wasn't sure if they'd abide by any rules but their own. They'd kill anyone that tried to usurp them. That is if you couldn't be bought off. They were as arrogant as the Orokin were. Nobody was beneath them. You're either a means of increasing their wealth or you're an infinite collection of ants for them to squash if they so choose. They'd be a boon to the Terminus systems; but a dangerous one. 'Not sure Aria would approve if they ever found their way here.'

He also thought about his own people, the Tenno. Lotus kept in contact sparingly over the last decade. She didn't want to risk anybody finding out about what we were up to or stealing any data that we'd send. From what He and Aquila were able to gather, things were just as bad as they always were. The Grineer were the same as always. The Corpus, however, were becoming a worry for Lotus. They've made significant improvements on their technology. Which could cause problems for a tenno if they weren't careful; particularly, their bursas. The infested were a nuisance as well. They were evolving into more formidable opponents. The Juggernauts now acted as a sort of hive mind that allowed them to coordinate attacks. That actually unnerved Johan. If those things ever got smart…he shuddered at the thought.

The Tenno themselves weren't ones to fall behind. While initially they were the smallest in number. Over the years since their cryo sleep they have increased. Their Orokin heritage naturally gave them the lifespan of a few hundred years. After they had become Tenno, that number nearly tripled. This made the procreation of their kind slow. And not many wanted to bring an innocent life into their way of living. Lotus always encouraged it though and some of the lest involved fighters started making families. The Tenno population was still nothing compared to the Grineer, or even the Corpus. They did, however, finally raise that number into the hundreds of thousands by the time Johan and his sister had begun this mission. That brought a bit of hope to Johan. His people were finally achieving a bit of normalcy. He could barely define the word. No Tenno could accurately. But, to even dream of a life away from simply fighting for freedom or for peace; to be simply thinking about it, that wasn't a luxury for them 300 years ago when the Lotus woke them, or even 50,000 years ago when they fought the Sentients and the Orokin. It gave him hope that they would find a true purpose; a reason for living. That, above all else, was what he wanted for himself; for his people.

Johan was so lost in his thoughts he hadn't even noticed Aquila sit down next to him. Her helmet unfolded into a purple crest as she sat down and crossed her legs. She stared at her brother with the ghost of a smirk on her face.

"You alright 'Han."

"Hmm?" he said, finally snapping out of his daze. He finally registered his sister sitting next to him.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just people watching. What about you?"

"I'm good just got back from having a talk with Aria."

A smirk formed on Johan's face.

"You know I wonder what an Asari/Tenno child would look like. I know Asari only birth asari but…ah never mind" he said, purposefully not finishing that thought. Aquila glared at him with a light blush on her cheeks.

"Just what the hell are you trying to say?" She said heatedly.

"See, you're even acting like her…wait I'm saying that like it's a good thing. Forget this whole conversation." He said before chugging the rest of this drink.

"So what DID y'all talk about?" Aquila fought the urge to hit him before she responded.

"The gangs are threatening start a coup; take Omega for themselves." Johan raised his eyebrow at that.

"All of 'em?"

"Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack; so yeah…the major ones."

"That's actually smart." He said. They do have quite a presence here; despite Aria's attempts at controlling it.

"I'm guessing she wants us to stop it?"

"She wants us to wipe them off the planet completely." Aquila said with a smirk. Johan noticed this.

"And you want all their data." He said knowingly. Of course she did. She was a Narumon.

"Of course, it'd be stupid to not obtain it." She said matter-of-factly.

"I had it all wrong, y'all aren't lovers; you're twins." He said, shaking his head.

"I'm going to ignore that." Johan couldn't stop laughing.

"Uh…Operators?"

"Ordis? What's up?" Johan said.

"Ordis has found something…something involving the Reapers;" at the word 'Reaper' Johan and Aquila both stood with serious looks on their faces.

"I suggest you come back to the Orbiter immediately."

The two walked at a brisk based to their apartment. It was a reward and a sign of trust from Aria for their spotless record while under her employment. For all her ruthlessness, she took care of her own…if you were valuable enough. Once inside, Aquila immediately held up her wrist as the gauntlet of her armor opened up mechanically. Protruding from under it was a miniature gun with an equally small void key attached to it. This was one of Aquila's newer inventions. It created a temporary portal that transported them to a specific gate. She had them in each wrist; as did Johan. The one on their left arm connected to their ship. The one their right would send them to the apartment they were currently in. They rarely ever had to use them, but they were good for getting back to their base of operations unseen. Aquila fired the key in her left arm opening a small portal to the Scimitar. She and Johan promptly walk thru it as it closed behind them; dumping them into the cargo hold. They swiftly made their way towards the front of the ship where Ordis's hologram was waiting for them.

"Operators! I'll get right to the point. I was perusing the extranet when I found a recording of today's news segment. There was an attack on the human colony known as Eden Prime. I found it strange because they mentioned the attack was made by the Geth. They haven't been seen outside the Perseus Veil in over 200 years. I manage to tap into a recording of the initial attack as it was being sent to Alliance command…you'd better see for yourself.

A digital screen came to life behind Ordis; showing a huge purple, cuttlefish shaped ship descending on the planet with a malicious red energy arching around it like chains of electricity. Ordis paused the vid there as that was the subject of this conversation. The two tenno were wide-eyed

"A Reaper." Johan said.

"It looks like Hunhow…Only, complete." Ordis said.

"So this is what Hunhow originally looked like? Now I see why the Sentient dreadnoughts look so similar. They're like miniature version of this. This is definitely a reaper." Aquila said. thinking back to Old War.

"Indeed Operators, although, it appears only one Reaper has been spotted. And there are no other attacks similar to this one. I thought there'd be more of them."

"Maybe there are, this maybe just the beginning."

"I think Johan is right, Ordis prep a message for the Lotus. She'd want to know about this."

"We need to investigate this Aquila." Johan said seriously.

"Hmm, why did this Reaper attack this particular colony…Ordis?"

"Let's see, it appears a Prothean beacon was unearthed there recently. I would wager it has something to do with that beacon. The reports state a turian spectre, Saren, was the orchestrator of the attack."

"Spectre? I wouldn't think the Council will OK a maneuver like that." Johan said.

"They wouldn't. He must have gone rogue." Aquila said.

"You think he might have been manipulated; like Hunhow did to Shadow?"

"More than likely, Yes." She responded before turning to Ordis.

"Can you gather anything else Ordis?"

"No that appears to be all, Operators. This is to be our first break in getting closer to Hunhow. If there is any more information you need, I'd suggest going to the Citadel." He said.

"Good idea, whoever was involved with the beacon and defended the attack would most likely have to report there." Johan said

"Then that's where you're headed."

"Huh, me?" Johan said, confused. Aquila nodded.

"Yes, we can't just up and leave without upsetting Aria. She's a rather valuable ally for us and she has access to data and information I don't think we should throw away carelessly. I'll stay here and finish this job for Aria and start organizing all data we've collected so far. We'll need to start sending some of it this back to Lotus and the rest of us. They need to start preparing anyway. A war is definitely coming." Johan nodded in agreement.

"I should be able to smooth things over with Aria as well; let her know we won't be around for much longer. But, before that, I'll drop you at the Citadel and you follow this lead. See where it goes."

Johan nodded. It was good plan; the best that they could come up with on short notice.

"I'm going to go gear up. Ordis, see what you can dig up on Saren." Johan said. He headed towards the foundry while Aquila and Ordis went to their designated tasks. Things were picking up now.

* * *

Evelyn Shepard was not having a good day; and, it was getting progressively worse. It started off great. She was debriefed on the true nature of the Normandy's venture to Eden Prime. It was an evaluation for her nomination to be humanity's first Spectre. She was to recover a Prothean beacon and bring it back to the Citadel for study; while a turian Spectre, Nihlus, oversaw the whole thing. Next thing she knows, Geth just decide to pop out from behind the veil and attack the colony, one of the men under her command, Jenkins, is killed. Nihlus ends up shot and killed by another turian Spectre who was behind the attack; and the beacon is destroyed, but not before burning a jumbled up collection of vision into her brain. And that's not even half of it. The Council refuses any indication that Saren is the one behind it all; stating they need more concrete evidence. Thus, the reason she and her squad are poised just outside of Chora's Den. The key to finding that evidence lies with the club's owner, Fist. If one were to take into account, the amount of armed guards currently residing in the club with their weapons drawn; it would appear that that information will not be given freely, or quietly.

"Alright, Wrex and I will take point. Garrus, you and Kaidan flank around the other side of the bar. Ashley, covering fire." Shepard commanded.

A collection of nods later, Wrex burst through the door with his shotgun at the ready. A turian guard near the door was the first to start firing. Wrex charged him; knocking off his feet before a shotgun blast to the head rendered him dead before he hit the ground. Shepard slid by him bringing her shotgun to bear on two human guards behind the bar. Two bullets a piece in rapid succession ender their lifes as Garrus and Kaidan's rifles came to life; firing on the guards at the far end of the bar. Ashley picked off a few of the guards hanging back at the far end of the bar as Wrex and Shepard charged forward. Shepard blew apart a turian who had his gun on Wrex's back before she heard Krogan yelling behind her; followed by the pounding of his feet as he charged. She dove to the side into a roll, barely missing the Krogan. Her body glowed with the blue hue of her biotics as she sent the Krogran flying with a shockwave. Two quick shots to thru his headplate ended that little scuffle. A Krogan in the back held a machine gun which he was spinning up. Before it could do any real damage, Shepard launch warp at him as Kaidan launched a throw towards him at the same time. The combining effects resulted in him being blown apart in a biotic explosion. The guards surrounding him hesitated in shock and that was all it took for Wrex to come charging thru and bowling them over; depositing his shotgun's blast into their brains as he did so. The only real threat left were the turrets which were taken out thanks to two expertly thrown grenades from the Gunnery-Chief. The fight ended soon after that. The group found Fist lying on the floor, knocked down by the destruction of one of the turrets.

"Wait! Don't kill me! I surrender!" he said pathetically as Shepard pulled out pulled her pistol out on Fist.

"Where's the quarian?" She said.

"I don't know where she is! That's the truth!"

"He's no use to you now. Let me kill him." Wrex said as he reloaded his shotgun.

"Wait, wait! I don't know where she is, but I know how you can find her. She was trying to do a deal; said she'd only do it with the Shadow Broker himself."

"Face to Face? Impossible, even I was hired thru an agent." Wrex said. Aiming is gun at Fist as he stood.

"No one meets the Shadow Broker, ever. Even I don't know his true identity; but she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up. But when she gets there, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her-." Shepard grabbed him by the neck of his armor and got in his face before he could finish.

"Give me a location. Now."

"Here on the wards, a back alley by the markets. They're supposed to be meeting now. You can make it if you hur-."

Fist was violent silenced by a currently smoking shotgun in Wrex's hands

"What the hell are you doing!?" Garrus exclaimed vehemently.

"The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him. I don't leave jobs half done." Wrex said, shrugging.

"We don't have time for this!" Shepard interrupted.

"That quarian is dead if we don't get to her! Now!"

* * *

Said quarian walked down an alley. The purple shade of her faceplate gleamed under the artificial light. The alley opened up into what looked to be a cargo area with an assortment of crates stacked and strewn throughout the area. As the quarian came into view, no less than six armed individuals emerged. Four were salarians; two were turians. One of the turians stepped up. He had skull like markings on his face which slightly intimidated the quarian if she were honest. She'd come too far to let that stop her now, though. She steeled herself as the turian approached her; a little too closely for comfort.

"You got the package?" he said. Though it seemed like he was hardly concern about it at all. His hands went down the side of her arms as he said. She thought he was padding her at first. But his hands lingered a bit too long for that.

"Where's the Shadow Broker, Where's Fist?" She said quickly.

"They'll be here, where's the evidence?" he said as his talon like hands grazed down the side of her hip. At that point, the quarian had had enough and slapped his hand away.

"No way, the deals off." She said; backing up. Two of the Salarians and the other turian came up behind the first one as the other two salarians came behind and tried to grab her. Before they could. She dropped two flash grenades and darted behind crate at the far end of the alley; drawing her shotgun as she did so. The two salarians and the turian in the back were far enough to not be completely blinded by the blast of the flash and turned their weapons towards the fleeing quarian.

Shepard saw this as she and her crew came into the alley; weapons drawn, they were about to fire. When arrow lodge itself in each of the heads belonging to the two salarians and turian; killing them instantly. An armored figured dropped down behind the skull-faced turian. The armor was a faded white with black and orange tribal stripes running along his arms and legs. He looked like some kind of human shaped tiger. His helmet was white in the front and black in the back and had a short white horn shooting up from the front of his helmet. He grabbed the skull-faced turian by the sides of his head and turned it sharply; snapping the turians neck and spine and killing him. The two final salarians were mostly recovered from the that flash grenade and turned to fire at the newcomer in front of him. The newcomer pulled a sword of all things from his back and charged him.

'Is he stupid?' Shepard thought. She prepared to take down the two salarians herself but they had already fired on him. The figure blocked or destroyed each bullet in succession with his blade; an act which left all of Shepard's crew in shock, before he charged forward with an orange energy surrounding him. The salarians were too shocked to try and prevent his next move as he threw the blade forward through the neck of one salarian; separating his head, before changing the blades direction to a horizontal swing while continuing his forward motion. This resulted in him completely bisecting the amphibian like species before stopping behind him as both his halves separated and collapsed.

The event left Shepard's crew in varying states of shock, not to mention the quarian.

"Holy shit!" said Ashley, her jaw hanging freely.

"Spirits!" said Garrus; his mandibles twitching in shock.

Shepard and Kaidan were too stunned to even speak as Wrex bellowed in a laugh.

"HAHAHA! This little pyjak has a quad! Haven't seen kills like this in a while!"

The quarian holstered her shotgun as she came from behind the crate. Nobody could see how bug-eyed she looked thanks to her helmet. She eventually shook it off before she marched up to the dead skull-faced turian and stomped on his neck for good measure.

"Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him!" she said angrily.

As Shepard and her crew walked up to the quarian and the mystery guy. Said guy turned to the quarian.

"Are you hurt, miss?" He said kindly.

"My name is Tali; and no I'm fine. I know how to look after myself. Not that I don't appreciate the help. Who are you? She asked; emphasizing the 'are.' Tali had never seen anyone or anything like him. The moves he did were incredible, and with such primitive weapons no less.

"Apologies, my name is Johan Everis; I'm a Tenno."

"Tenno?" Tali said.

"Excuse me miss, Tali was it?" Shepard interrupted as she holstered her weapon on her back. The two turned to her.

"My names Shepard. I'm looking for evidence to prove Saren's a traitor. I heard that you may have what I'm looking for." She said kindly.

"Yes, I believe I may have what you seek. Why are you looking for me though? CSec doesn't exactly trust Quarians." She said suspiciously.

"I'm Alliance Navy, not CSec. If your evidence is good I can get it directly to the Council. Csec won't be involved." She said patiently.

"If that's all you're looking for then yes I have what you're looking for. But I can't share it here. We'll need to go somewhere private. Who knows how many more of Saren's goons are lying around."

"They're dead." Johan said.

"You killed them?" Shepard asked

"Yes, they were speaking of the quarian. I knew she had the information I sought so troubled them for your location; he nods towards Tali, and I left them. They forced me to take their lives as I did so."

"I see." Shepard said.

"We should take Tali to the Human Embassy. Udina would want to see this evidence" Kaidan said.

"Agreed, Tali?" Shepard responded

"I'm right behind you; but first, Johan, was it? I do owe you my life back there. If you sought me out for information, though I'm not sure what I possess that would be of use to you, I would happily give it to you."

Johan bowed in response.

"My thanks, Tali. If I'm right, the information I desire is the very same you intend to share with your party here." He said, referring to Shepard's crew.

Shepard narrowed suspiciously for a moment.

"If you don't mind my asking, what would you know about the evidence she holds?"

"I can't answer that until I know that information." Johan said, shrugging.

Shepard sighed at that before shrugging.

"I don't know who you are, but if you're willing to follow us to the embassy we can discuss this there." She said with finality.

Johan sighed mentally before nodding.

"Of course, now I believe enough time is wasted." He said as he holstered his skana onto his back.

"After you, Shepard." He said.

"—Ordis thinks this only going to get more complicated" Ordis said over Johan's comm system as he walked with Tali, Shepard and her crew.

"I hope you're wrong Ordy…" he responded.

"But, I know you're right."

* * *

 **That concludes the third chap! This one was painfully fun to write. I honestly hadn't planned on stopping at this point but my brain sort of shorted out here and I need to walk away and live life for minute lol. I think it's twice the length of my previous two chapters! Anyway, we're now getting into the story so I hope you guys are excited as I am! I'll get started on the next chap probably next week after I've had time to decompress.**

 **So, let me know what you think and again if ANYBODY can help me get the pics of the warframes I've chosen for Aquila and Johan, PM me! I'd love the help. I've been a reader on FF for years but this is the first time I'm trying my hand at writing so I never learned the backend of things.**

 **Like always, read and review and enjoy your life!**


	4. Chapter 4

**What's good my people! Welcome to Chapter 4! I know these chapters are coming quick, but I just can't stop writing! I'm coming up with crazy ideas for later and I gotta write them down now before work or school gets in the way! Before I let you guys have at the next chpt, REVIEWS!**

 **Zealous_specter: I'm really excited for both of them Johan's profile, his essence, is one I've had an idea about for YEARS this story is my first time actually trying to refine it outside of my own brain so it's really cool to see what these elements and this universe will end up doing to him. I admit I've put more forethought into Johan, cuz I've had his idea for longer, but I think Aquila is my favorite as well. There are several badass women in the ME verse already; and they'll have their day too. I really wanted to create a badass female character. You don't see them in hardly any form of film, or TV. There are a few in video games, so I thought: Why not create my own? She's become sort of what Johan is. My baby. I'm going to make them both great. That's what I want most out of this story; for Johan and Aquila to become equally awesome characters that you guys will love. Feel free to let me know how I'm doing. And thanks for the help with the pics. I HAVE A WORKING LINK ON MY PROFILE NOW! I haven't added all the ones I intend to but let me know what you think**

 **helkil: funny you mention that…you'll have your answer this chapter (part of it anyway)**

 **MEleeSmasher: You might have skipped the addendum, and that's cool. But I'm not making the distinction between Primes and regular frames/weapons/etc. Here's how I'm doing it: If DE (the makers of Warframe) have a prime version of that weapon/warframe out…then when I mention a, for example, Loki. I'm REALLY meaning a Loki Prime. I'm not making that distinction tho. So for clarity, all Loki's are loki primes. And I'm using that idea for everything. I hope that clears that up for you. And yeah I haven't decided on every weapon I'm going to use. I'm basically starting with the weapons I actually use in my Warframe game and going from there. I'm trying to balance the weapons out so you'll see some variety as I get more familiar with different weapons in the actual game. And I fully intend for this to last a good bit. As long as I have the idea and my hands. You'll keep seeing chapters. I'm obsessed with this story. So at the moment, I'm working on chapters every day. Not saying it'll always be like that. But I'm dedicated.**

 **All right thanks for the reviews guys! Again, A LINK TO WARFRAME PICS IS UP ON MY PROFILE! Check it out. Let me know what you think.**

 **Now, own with the Show!**

* * *

 **" _Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon will bring us one step closer to finding the Conduit."_**

 **" _And one step closer to the return of the Reapers"_**

* * *

 _ **Johan's POV**_

The Commander and her crew led Tali and I back to their embassy. There she played the recording she secured from a geth's memory core. It proved Saren was the one behind the attack on Eden Prime. It appears they're working towards the goal of bringing the Reapers back. As bad as that is, I take some form of solace at the fact that currently there's only one Reaper roaming around. Then again, there was only one Hunhow; and he was handicapped. In any case, our mission is now clear. Find out what the Conduit is, and prevent Saren and that reaper from getting to it. It might be better to destroy the Conduit in the event that we the enemy beats us there…so many options; variables, I sighed. But, what about these people. It's clear our objectives are one and the same; albeit for different reasons. Is this something me and 'Quila should take upon ourselves or should we enlist help? COULD we even do it ourselves?

"And what about her?"

I'd completely forgotten where I was. I have to stop zoning out like that.

Looks like the Commander is recruiting the quarian for his crew. They're an interesting bunch.

"And him? Why is he even here?" That man, Udina, I think, said.

"He came because he wanted to see this evidence. But this was a top secret assignment so I wanted to know what and how he knows about any of this." Commander Shepard said has her gaze hardened on me.

Damn, I thought Aria had a cold stare. I think this human might have her beat. Her eyes are just as beautiful too. No, more so. A lesser man wouldn't know the danger they were in just by looking into them. A Tenno man however…who am I kidding; I'm well aware of the danger, but I'll be damned if I know what to do about it. I'm glad the helmet is still on. I know I didn't stop that flash of vulnerability from flashing across my eyes. I'm focused now, though. She won't unsettle me so easily now that I know I have their attention. Damn me for zoning out.

A human male stepped forward. He had a dark brown complexion and a shaved head. His eyes spoke of him as a seasoned warrior; a leader. He demanded the respect of one. He's seen things that no one should ever see. His eyes have earned my respect already. They were narrowing suspiciously at the moment. I think that's my fault.

"Remove your helmet son. I'm assuming you're not here to cause trouble. But, I'm afraid you don't come across as such until I can see your face."

I took notice that he was guarded the whole time. He would attack if I even made a move. Shepard was the same. It was then I noticed that same warrior/leader thing in her eyes. These weren't just some run-of-the-mill foot soldiers. Color me impressed.

I obliged calmly. My armor shifted to the default state, which raised more than a few eyebrows in my 'audience.' I'd opted to add a bit of design to my default-frame's look. It still looked like the Zariman suits we tenno wore as a child. There's a bit more armor added to it though. It was still form fitting and my form grew so you can hardly tell. I chose for a muted grey as the primary color with black and light blue accents. They sort of threaded around each other. I also added the Lotus's insignia to my chest. My people sort of adopted it as our national symbol. Any flag ship or base in our name bore this symbol. I only saw it fitting to add it here. The helmet was all-grey with a black visor. The shifting took only about half a second. My sister and I have made a few improvements in its shifting time; among other things. The helmet soon folded away into the light blue and black crest that covered most of my shoulders; revealing my two toned hair. It still kept that light blue sheen. Aquila said it looked like a flame of cold fire. I think that's the best compliment I've ever gotten.

* * *

 _ **Shepard's POV**_

The mystery guy's armor...changed somehow. One minute he was in the same, almost tiger-human looking, armor he was in when he cut down those assassins; literally, I might add. Next he was in this normal looking suit. Well, the helmet didn't look like anything I've seen; but, comparatively it was normal. That was, until, the helmet folded away. Wait, _WHAT?!_ Judging by the look on Anderson's face I didn't imagine that. So at least I know I'm not crazy. Yeah, definitely not. The helmet peeled off of him like a banana and wrapped around his shoulders in the shape of some kind of elegant crest. He had black and blue hair but it didn't look like any highlights. Was that his real hair?! His eyes were tis weird combination of bright blue and burnt orange. I'm pretty sure that's not natural for a human. Actually, I don't think he's human. He has a brown complexion, like Anderson, but not as dark. However, his skin is…glowing; for lack of a better word. It's faint but you can see an energy of some kind flowing under his skin. It was white, blue or orange depending on where you looked and when. It wasn't profound enough to overpower his general complexion, but it was there. It was weird. No other way to describe it. His eyes are what got me the most. Anderson always told me eyes were the windows to the soul. No matter how different one species is from another. That is the same between us all. I saw hints of all kinds of things. Things no person should ever see. Elysium was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Akuze…I'm not even going to go there. I saw similarities to that magnitude in his eyes. I can just tell it's made him powerful. Those eyes, how could something so beautiful see so many ugly things in their lifetime? I shook my head of those thoughts. I still had questions he needed to answer. Anderson beat me to the first.

"What's your name son?"

The man looked toward Anderson. He seemed to study him for a second before he responded.

"My name is Johan Everis, I am a Tenno."

Tenno? What the hell is a Tenno?

"Tenno? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that term." Anderson said.

"I wouldn't expect you to be Captain Anderson; my people are no longer known to the galaxy."

"Your people? So you aren't human?" Udina asked.

"I'm afraid not mister Udina. I understand we look very similar from afar and we do share some similarities with your kind; but, there are key differences in our physiology. My sister is more adept at explaining all that. For now, just know that I am not a human."

"But how would a new species know anything about Saren or the Geth?" I asked. This just didn't add up. I'll buy the fact that he isn't human. That is obvious, but that's also all the more reason he shouldn't know about any of this. I don't like unknown variables. Who is he working for?

"We wouldn't Commander. My interest lies indirectly in Saren and the Geth. They are hardly my primary concern." He responded.

"Then what is?" Captain Anderson interjected.

"You must understand; this was a top secret mission. Only the people in this room and the Council themselves knew about it. I fail to see how you've come to know any of this information." He finished.

I noticed the rest of my crew come to the same realization that Anderson had. Kaidan and Ashley, in particular, were glaring daggers at him. Wrex and Tali were looking on in curiosity. And I see Garrus clenching his fists; he must have come to the same conclusion I have. He's acquired this information thru nefarious means. We need to know what they are.

"I see where you're going with this Captain, there's no need to worry about me compromising any security measures or communications you have with your military and government. You are not my concern. The sole reason I'm here is to gain more information on the Reapers." He said calmly and patiently.

This shocked everyone in the room. The visions started flashing before my eyes like cobwebs. I shook my head to rid myself of them before I turned to him.

"You know more about these Reapers? I asked"

"I know some, maybe not as much as you might be hoping; but, I can tell you this. The Reapers do indeed exist." He said. The tone in which he said shook me. He was so calm and relaxed throughout this whole interrogation. Then, in that single sentence, his face hardened. And I saw all those emotions that had latched to his soul resurface; the ugliness.

"I don't know where they are now, but they were the ones that hunted the Protheans to extinction. I have my theories on how they did it; but, they're just theories. I know they exist because we, that is my people, have defeated one."

Everyone in the room went bug-eyed, including myself.

"And that is why I am here, Captain. Although the one we fought was heavily damaged and modified. I know the gist of what they generally look like. I had come across footage of the attack on Eden Prime and that ship that Saren used. It is no ship. It's a Reaper. I came here to look for a way to kill them."

"Didn't you just you killed one?" I said despite my shock.

"Defeated. Not killed. I also said it was handicapped. It serves no insurmountable threat to us as the moment. That doesn't mean it can't become one in the future. So I'm here looking for a way to prevent that."

Udina put his head in his hands.

"The Council is just going to love this."

Love it? I doubt they'd believe a single word of this. I'm not even sure that I do. You couldn't fabricate that look in his eyes, though. There's no denying the visions, though. I guess that's all the proof I'm going to get. In any case, it's more than enough to take this threat seriously. Too bad the Council won't.

* * *

 _ **Johan's POV**_

"You wanted proof? There it is!" Udina said.

They chose to bring me with them to their meeting with the Council. I'm not sure whether it is because they wish to learn more about the Tenno, the Council will no doubt question me; or, they want me to corroborate their findings about the Reapers. It's likely a bit of both. I'm standing behind Commander Shepard; doing my best to not be seen while trying not to stare at her ass. I know it may seem inappropriate to some; but it is a good ass. I do have my instincts after all. Not that I would act on them. I use that line of thought to resolve my will and turn back to the conversation at hand. I learned about matriarchs when I first arrived at this side of the galaxy. To have one in league in Saren could be problematic. Guns aren't as much of problem with their inferior weapons technology. I know that sounds arrogant, but it's just a fact. Their biotics on the other hand are formidable. They certainly hurt, and can kill us if we aren't careful. Those spars with Aria were proof enough of that. Hearing the Asari Councilor speak of the matriarch tells me she is almost certainly not acting of her own volition. I'd bet that neither is Saren. They're just like Shadow; which saddens me a bit.

The Salarian Councilor wanted to know more about the Reapers. Of course, he did. They're the most inquisitive little things I've ever come across.

"We only know what we found in the geth's memory core and it was corroborated by our friend her" Captain Anderson said referring to me.

There was response was…disappointing. There were asking the right questions. Where were the Reapers now, how did they vanish? the lack of evidence of their existence led them to believe they didn't exist.

'Yet they believe in gods' I thought to myself. I didn't say anything though. They thing the Reapers are a myth Saren is using to bend the geth to his will. Even IF that were true, no one would do that without a just cause. One that fundamentally changed called them to do it. Like Mind Control. I guess they aren't as perceptive as they like to think. This galaxy can be thick headed at the worst of times.

"50,000 years ago the Reapers wiped out all galactic civilization. If Saren finds the Conduit, it WILL happen again." Shepard said. I can tell she was angry at their complete dismissal of what could be and actually was, a serious threat. I understood both sides, but I also understood that the Council were idiots. I saw this as my best chance to step in. Whether knew it or not, they were already involved in this war. It's best if we try and work together at least.

"The Commander is correct," I say. It startled her a bit. I don't think she anticipated me speaking without being called on. Either way, she stepped aside as I walked up next to Udina.

"Ah yes, the new species that found its way onto the Citadel." The Turian Councilor spoke in such a condescending tone it made me want to slit his throat. I had enough tact to remain impassive though. I had to leave my weapons in the embassy anyway. I hoped they didn't try and touch them. Their bio-locked and I don't want to be tried for murder or assault because some idiot tried confiscating my weapons.

The Asari Councilor's eyes widened in shock at her coworker's declaration. I guess she thought I was human.

"You are not human?" She asked curiously.

Heh, called it.

"No Councilor, I am not. I am Tenno."

"Tenno? Interesting, Can't say I've heard of your species; nor have I seen any like you. You look human almost but there are certain physicalities that I now notice that differentiate you from even humans. Where is your planet?" asked the Salarian Councilor.

"We don't exactly have a planet of our own, we live on a series of stations in a system that exists outside your mass relay system. There are several habitable planets in the system. I've honestly forgotten the planet that our home one; for the totality of my life, they've all been equally colonized."

"You live in a system without a mass relay?" The Asari Councilor asked, shocked.

"How have you achieved space flight? How did you make it here?" Her turian counterpart asked.

"We don't use mass effect technology. There is more than one way to do anything Councilors. My kind evolved differently from yours. A path that doesn't use eezo." That legitimately shocked everyone within ear shot. I didn't really care. It was just a fact. Their faces were amusing, though.

"Now back to the Commander's statement," I said, hoping to change the subject.

"I have personally fought against a Reaper so I can testify to their existence. We were able to subdue it; and during that time. We were privy to information that there are a lot more of the Reapers out there. Where? I don't know. But they exist and they are coming. I came here to follow up on a lead in my mission to stop them. It is out of a respect for life itself that I urge you to take this threat seriously. It is bigger than any you've ever faced." I meant every word of that.

"Yes, well we will take that into consideration." The Asari Councilor said after an awkward pause. I'm sure she didn't mean it. "Perhaps it would be best if we opened communications with your species in order to validate these claims. I'm very interested in your technology if it is able to take down a threat as high of magnitude as you described." She continued. I don't really believe her intensions, but that's likely the best I'll be able to get.

"I am far from being an adequate representative of my race Councilors, so any negotiations that take place will have to wait. I'm here to nullify a threat not to become part of you. I mean that with respect, of course."

I really didn't.

"Of course." She responded. Yeah, they didn't like that answer hahaha.

"Perhaps when I'm able I can have a more appropriate representative come in my place." Aquila or Lotus would be much more capable. I want no parts of this shit.

"That is acceptable, we will postpone further negotiations until then.

Phew! That glad that's over. Now I can go back to ignoring them. I made my bow and returned to my position behind Shepard, she gave me the weirdest look when I walked by. It reminded me of Aquila. I called it the 'this shit ain't over' look. I'm suddenly regretting my decision to open my mouth.

After more point more pointless debating they eventually came to a resolution for stopping Saren. Send a Spectre after Spectre. And to kill two birds with one stone, make it a human Spectre. I suppose it was smart move on the Council's end. I hate the fact that any reason they make for doing anything for anybody must also be beneficial to them. I guess that's just politics. Anyway, they proceeded to making Shepard that Spectre. I suppose she's good. I've never seen her in battle myself. I had done a bit of digging on her. She's a survivor and a war hero. That Akuze business looked pretty fucked up. And, the Elysium situation was damned impressive. I'm not sure how many could still live the life she did after all that. It was a testament to her resolve. I see why she would be an adequate Spectre candidate. Hell, She's make a hell of a Tenno. The whole monologue the Councilors gave made me want to beat my head through a wall though. They made it sound like those qualities were scarcely found in individuals. Everybody had the capability. It's just not everybody is willing to make those sacrifices. The traits of Spectre are not dissimilar to that of the Tenno. The culture here never ceases to amuse me. I started to make my way out of there as soon as the meeting ended. I intended on finding a secure place to activate my void portal to the Orbiter. Before I was out of sight I hand grabbed my arm with quite a bit of force. I found myself turning to star into two emerald pools.

"Johan, was it? You have no reason to, but could you meet me at Docking Bay E24 in about an hour? There's something I would like to ask you." Commander Shepard said.

That caught me by surprise. What in the devil could she want with me? I nodded my head before I could even answer my own question. She smiled and nodded back in thanks; taking off after that. I admit my curiosity got the better me. I suppose it couldn't hurt to hear her out. I

shrugged to myself before activating my frame. The murmurs and stares were getting on my nerves. My frame shifted back into Excalibur before I threw myself over the nearest balcony and disappeared from sight. I could hear the gasps above me as I fell.

The Normandy. Interesting ship name. I sat on of the docking arms at the front end of the ship. I've been meditating here while the Commander does whatever she's doing. Captain Anderson and Udina beat her here. They talked amongst themselves for a minute before Shepard strode out of the elevator accompanied by her two human companions. I never got their names. They spoke with Udina and Anderson for a while before the two left the Commander and her companions to join the ship. Judging from the snippets I had overheard, apparently command of the ship has just been given to her. Made since, she's a Spectre. A ship of your own would probably be in the job requirements. She held back after her crewmates boarded. I assumed she's waiting to see if I'd show or not; on account of she never stopped looking towards the elevator.

"Commander Shepard," I said as I dropped down behind her. She spun around drawing her pistol before she realized it was me and relaxed.

"Johan, I almost thought you wouldn't come." She said. There was a professional tone I hadn't heard her use earlier. Interesting.

"I admit you had me curious. I'm not entirely sure what it is you could want with me."

She studies him for a moment.

"I can't really see your face, would you mind removing the helmet so we can talk for a moment?" She asked.

"Certainly," I said as my frame reverted to its helmet-less state.

"Now, what is it you'd like to ask?" I said as I crossed my arms

She looked into my eyes, now that she could see them. She pondered a bit before nodding to herself.

"Your mission to gain information about these Reapers and stop them. I for one completely believe the Reapers are a real threat. And so, I think our objectives are one and the same." She said confidently.

I'd honestly thought I was preaching to the deaf without sign language back at the Council hearing. It's good to see somebody actually listened.

"The Prothean beacon on Eden Prime transferred a vision to me. I can't make much of it. But I know it was a vision of the Reapers as they wiped out the Protheans. I would like to prevent that from happening again." The seriousness of that statement was all too real for me. The visions explained how serious she was. I knew the Protheans had an ability to exchange memories. That was one of the primary interests the Orokin had in Prothean culture. There was an extensive codex entry about it in the old archives. I think I'm starting see why she called me here.

"You're suggesting a partnership?

She nodded.

"I would like you to join me in stopping Saren. We are sure to uncover more about these Reapers in doing so; and, I've seen your fighting skills. You'd be an invaluable asset to the team. With this kind of mission, the more the better."

She made a good point. Besides, if Saren and that matriarch were indeed being controlled by that Reaper. They needed to be put down. One Shadow is bad enough. This will be quite an update once I get word back to Aquila. Maybe we could attack this from both ends… I felt myself monologuing in my head again. So, I stopped myself before this got awkward. I'd made my decision anyway.

I bowed.

"It would be an honor to fight alongside you, Commander Shepard."

She visibly relaxed before extending her hand. I grasped it in kind. She smiled as we shook.

It was a nice smile. She turned and nodded towards the ship.

"Welcome aboard." She said.

* * *

 _ **General POV**_

 _ **SSV Normandy**_

" _This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders. Find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you, crew, this mission isn't going to be easy. This started with an attack on a human settlement in the Traverse. But we know Saren won't stop there. His geth army won't stay on the far fringes of Citadel space. For too long our species has stood apart from the others. Now it's time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy. Time to show them what humans are made of. Our enemy knows we're coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them, too. Humanity needs to do this, not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel Space. Saren must be stopped. And I promise you all…We WILL Stop Him!"_

"Damn she sure gives a hell of a speech." Johan said to himself. He found him a nice area at the far end of the cargo room. There wasn't much for him to set up in terms of personal items. So, he decided to double check all his weapons. The helmet on his suit his armor unfolded into the shoulder crest has he sat in the lotus position and on his Daikyu; checking the bow for any wear and tear. He gave a small check over his sonicor; which he'd yet to use. Johan absolutely love this pistol. It was just so much fun to use. If Johan were being honest, he very much looked forward to pulverizing a few squads of geth with it. And pulverize was meant to be taken quite literally. He also made a note to himself to 'void back' to the apartment for some extra ammo, his sentinel and few extra weapons for a more versatile loadout. To do that he'd have to set up a temporary gate here in order to get back. That's something he'd have to run by the Commander before he did it.

'Not sure why I didn't think to bring all those things in the first place…Now I'll have to borrow a rifle in the meantime' He thought.

Johan took a moment to observe his new teammates. Garrus, was under the mako on the other side of the room doing some kind of calibrations. The female human Ashley was at a desk closer to Johan himself cleaning some kind of sniper rifle. Johan had a feeling he didn't want to see the business end of any weapon she

'It's just something about women and weapons…they make such a deadly, combination. Yet, it's so attractive' He thought to himself. He shook away all thoughts of his interesting tastes before finally taking a moment to observe Wrex. Working for Aria. Johan had seen his fair share of krogan.

'He's different.' Johan thought.

He couldn't place how or why, but he was. Johan could tell. He was about to go have a conversation with him when the Commander stepped through the elevator. It looked as though she was making her rounds; getting to know her crew. She stopped and talked with just about everybody on the floor. Johan hadn't paid much attention to any of the conversations. He opted to focus on sharpening his blade. He learned a trick few years back. Using his raw energy, unfiltered by any warframe, he could sharpen any of his weapons without having to use the foundry. With enough focus, he could refine just about any weapon. A vibrant blue energy coated the middle and pointer fingers of his right hand. He ran them along the blade of his skana. Blue sparks danced along the area where the blade met his fingers. This was the sight Commander Shepard walked up on. She raised an eyebrow at the display. The Commander didn't know how he was sharpening the blade. She knew it wasn't biotics though.

"Is that a form of biotics for your people?" She asked curiously. Johan continued with his work; but, at a more relaxed pace.

"I suppose that's a good way of putting it," he said

"What exactly is this energy? It's clearly not biotics."

"It's the lifeblood of my people. We don't have name for it. It's simply a part of us; our energy."

"So what can it do?"

"Quite a few things. However, it takes a tremendous amount of focus to even control in its rawest state. So it's not the best to use on missions unless absolutely necessary. Here though, it's very handy."

"So I'm noticing." She said as she eyed the blade. It was dark grey in color with blue and black lines dancing along the handle and the top blade. It seemed to glow whenever his fingers touched it. Shepard was trying hard not to stare at the blade. She had a borderline obsession with cool weapons.

"I have to ask, working with a group won't be a problem for you will it? I would like to use you on my ground team."

Johan stopped for a moment and looked at the commander. He smiled gently; shaking his head.

"The Tenno are trained to decimate entire armies singlehandedly. We are not large in number so it's more out of necessity and pride most cases. Our creed is one forged in honor, not pride. Every time we step into a warframe we know we're sacrificing ourselves and our services for a collective good. So for your team, I am capable of filling any role you need me to; and I shall have no problems taking orders."

Shepard was both intrigued and relieved by that answer. Having never met a new species before, she was naturally very curious.

"That's a relief some the crew thinks you're just a merc who will cut us down for the right amount of credits." Johan laughed out loud at that.

"When we pledge ourselves to a cause we don't break that pledge without reason. Money has never been a viable one."

"That's good to know. Tell me about your people, who are the Tenno?"

"The Tenno are masters of gun and blade. We are a warrior race founded on honor and loyalty. We fight fiercely for the prosperity of our own people." He said with pride.

The commander nodded with a smile. She was starting to like these people.

"Where is your system located? I remember you saying it doesn't have a mass relay?"

Johan thought for a moment and saw no problem in telling her; he'd have to build trust with this crew, he figured.

"It's located beyond the far end of the Traverse; we never really bothered to name it anything, so I've taken to calling it the Tenno system," Johan said, shrugging.

"Beyond? Are you saying you're from another galaxy see?" The commander said; not bothering to hide the shock.

"Haha. No, Commander. The galaxy is simply a bit bigger than any map will be able to tell you. It's not significant enough for most navigation experts to pick up the anomaly."

"Surely somebody would have if it happened recently."

"Of course, they would. But, it happened over 50,000 years ago."

"50,000 years?!" She said a little too loudly. Garrus and Ashley both looked up from their tasks to glance in their direction.

"You're 50,000 years old?!" She asked; more like yelled quietly.

"Depends on how you look at it," Johan said as he places his sword to the side. He got more comfortable in his sitting position as he tried to prevent himself from laughing at the Commander's face.

"I'm afraid you'll have to explain that." She said

"Well technically, yes, I am over 50,000 years old; but I was in cryostasis for a huge chunk of that. I'm actually just over 300; maybe closer to 350. I've never really kept count."

"That's incredible! That would explain why your people sent you on this mission. You must be one of the oldest of your kind."

"Actually no, my entire people were in stasis for that same period of time."

Shepard almost lost her entire composure at that statement.

"Hold up, why would your entire people be put into cryostasis?" Shepard was beside herself. She couldn't fathom what that would be like. Johan frowned deeply. Shepard saw one of those flashes in his eyes again. She guessed there was a very unpleasant story behind it. She flushed a bit; embarrassed to have brought up a painful memory.

"I'm sorry, I'm guessing that's a touchy subject."

"No, it's alright, Commander. But yes, that's a deeply personal story. And a long one. Perhaps one day I may share it with you." He said with a hint of sadness behind his smile.

"Of course." She said; she hated the awkward silence. She also didn't want to leave the conversation on a sour note.

"About that armor you wore, where did you get it and can I get one? I've never seen anything like it!" She said excitedly. The previous topic was all but forgotten in an instant. Johan was taken aback by the outburst. He felt a weird sensation in his spine as he realized something.

'So that's what it looks like when I do that to Aquila," He said; he laughed out loud; grabbing the attention of the other cargo residents; all of whom discreetly inched as close as possible from their positions to eavesdrop on the commander's conversation with the tenno.

"They are called warframes, Commander—,"

"Shepard is just fine Johan, I'm not fond of the formalities." She said quickly. Johan laughed again.

"Okay, Shepard, like I was saying they're called Warframes. I'm afraid they are made by and for Tenno. You wouldn't be able to use one." The commander did the perfect imitation of a child that was denied a new toy. She had the most adorable pout on her face and it amused Johan to no end.

"Wait, you said warframes like it was plural. You have more of like the one we saw on the Citadel?"

Johan nodded standing up.

"This is actually a newer invention of my people. Originally the warframe you saw on the Citadel would be my armor my suit. There wouldn't be any others. I'm wearing what we're calling a Delta-Frame. This is its default armor, nothing special. What it does do, though, is it allows me to shift between different Warframe loadouts."

"Like how your armor fluctuated from that tiger looking one," Commander said in understanding

"Exactly."

Garrus's interest was thoroughly peaked at their conversation. They'd been talking for almost an hour and the mention of his armor; well, Garrus just had listened in. Ashley was no different.

"What's the benefit, though? Why would need to switch armors in mid battle or between battles? Do they have varying levels of armor and shields?" Garrus asked

"I can see the how that could be useful in certain situations, but it just seems to be… I don't know, overcompensating." Ashley said

"Well they do have varying armor and shields but that alone isn't their value." Johan responded.

"Then what is?" Shepard asked curiously.

"Remember how I said that my energy is very raw and unfocused in its natural state; and, that it was very hard to use efficiently in battle?" Shepard nodded; as did Ash, Garrus and even Wrex who'd slid in to listen in on the conversation.

"Warframes were built as a focus for that energy. That's why only we can operate them. They are designed to interface with our energy and use it as power. This gives us special abilities which provide us with advantages on the battlefield. Each warframe has its own unique set of abilities. So it's incredibly useful to be able to switch between a few. For instance, some warframes are better at taking damage which can attract enemy fire away from its allies. Others are better suited for indirect combat."

"Damn that makes your people seem to like one man armies!" Ashley exclaimed. Johan nodded at her.

"That's the whole point."

"Spirits, so your people willing give out solo missions," Garrus said; that was the exact

"It's the best way to get things done. Like I said there aren't a lot of us compared to just about anybody. That's not to say we can't or don't work in teams, but everybody is capable of running those same missions solo. Of course, it's a bit more difficult, but we're trained to handle it. Working in groups is mostly a relief. We don't have to try as hard and it's more fun!" Johan said grinning.

Shepard chuckle at that.

"So what kind of abilities do your warframes have? It would be good to know what I'm working with in the field." She asked. Johan snorted. He knew she just wanted to see what cool things he could do. Whether it was the smirk on her lips or that hungry look in her eye. She wasn't fooling Johan; not one bit.

Deciding a demonstration would be better, he activated the delta-frame. The helmet folded over his head; hiding his face from the small gathering crowd. He changed to the tiger colored Excalibur. An orange energy came to life in the accents of his armor. It was quite an impressive sight.

"This is Excalibur. The first warframe ever designed for the Tenno. He is a master of both gun and blade. However, a sword in his hands is like a nuke in the hands of any other soldier. I'd rather not destroy your ship. So I can't give a complete demonstration. But, his abilities make him workhorse on the front lines. He can decimate entire armies with his sword. He's also could at crowd control. It's hard to get behind Excalibur." All eyes in the cargo hold were on him. They were captivated as he continued his introduction. Their eyes followed Johan as he picked his newly sharpened sword.

"This is the Skana. It's a common tenno short sword; extremely deadly in close quarters combat. But, as with any melee weapon in the hands of Excalibur, it can be so much more." As he said that. An orange energy came to life within the blade and completely covered it. Shepard's jaw was near the floor at this point. She was struggling not to drool. Only the thought that she had to save face in front of her crew kept her from doing so. Wrex smiled at the display. To him that thing looked deadly. He liked weapons that looked deadly.

"This is probably Excalibur's greatest ability; Exalted Blade. It covers a melee weapon in my own energy; increasing the power and speed of my attacks, and, every swing of the weapon emits an arc of energy capable of slicing through anything in its path. I've bisected many-a charging krogan with this; not to mention others. It's become a favorite of mine. Bisecting enemies as is; not krogan specifically."

Even Wrex was astonished at that last statement. Johan cut the flow of his energy from the blade, canceling exalted blade. That's just an example of the power of the Warframes. It may not seem like much, but he was the first warframe. We've gotten quite creative in how we design our warframes and what we design them for."

"A-And HOW many of these can you transform into?" Shepard asked.

"Originally, it was seven. That was the max number of loadouts the delta-frame could hold. I've increased that number to nine; but I only wear Warframes that are of significant value to me. Warframes are more than just suits we throw on or weapons that we use. They're a part of us; they represent who we are as a people as well as individuals. There's a story behind every Warframe I have. Excalibur, for instance, one represents our history. He was the first of us. The beginning of the Tenno."

"You say that like you didn't have a life before fighting," Shepard said curiously and she wasn't sure she liked the way he worded that sentence.

"We didn't," Johan said simply. Shepard caught the look in his and nodded her head. That was another demon that he carried with him. It seemed to her that his entire people carried those demons. She thanked him for his time before shooing everyone away and back to their duties.

They'd be arriving on Feros soon, and she'd definitely need to decompress before they got there.

* * *

 _ **Omega**_

"Where are those got damned Blood Pack?!" screamed Burlak. He unloaded his clip in a random direction. Burlak was the leader of the Blue Suns on Omega and; subsequently, the leader of the planned coup on Omega. Not that anybody knew that; or so he thought. This train of thought left him open for quite the shock when his base of operations was attacked. He was away at a rendezvous with the leaders of the Eclipse and Blood Pack. When he returned, his base was in flames.

An alert over his comm informed him that he was seeing a sight identical to that of his co-conspirators. He had ordered them and their men to his position; as the culprit was still here, hence, the reason he was currently shooting from behind a crate. The Eclipse reinforcements arrived first. Their Omega branch was comprised mostly of Salarians and rogue Asari commandos; who started slinging biotics in every direction trying to hit that enemy.

"That bitch just won't sit still!" One asari said in her frustration.

The Blue Suns and Eclipse focused in on the Ember warframe as she danced thru their bombardment. She spun on her heel; out of the path of an incoming rocket, and charged at the Eclipse merc who threw it. She pulled a grakata from the small of her back and laid a quick burst of bullets into the salarians skull. She turned to advance on the rest of the Eclipse flanking her; but before she could, a torrent of fire and shotgun shells rained down on her. She skipped out of the way of the bullets; not bothering to even dodge the flamethrowers as they coated her body in flames. She let the flames flood her vision. A sinister chuckle escaped her lips as she relished the moment. When the flames died down she was faced with a charging krogan in red armor; Blood Pack. Shockingly, instead dodging or running away, she braced herself as he bore down on here. In a flash, she ducked below the krogan's charge; grabbing his arm in the process, and redirecting his momentum in an expertly timed hip throw. She turned to a second krogan who was charging and let loose a fireball from her outstretched hand at point blank range. A ball of flaming krogan landed at Burlak's feet as he looked at the Ember in shock.

"Aria sends her regards." The Ember said as she slammed the palms of her hands into the ground. Burlak only had second for the anger to flash across his four eyes before a spout of fire erupted from beneath him. The pillar of flames reduced him entirely to ashes before it burned out. Several more pillars erupted from the ground; turning all of the mercs into ashes. The pillars covered the whole complex in ashes and soot. The fight ended when one of the pillars hit reactor in the base' causing it to explode in blinding flash of energy.

"When I asked you to destroy them and everything they own. I didn't really expect for you to do it quite so...literally. I wish I'd been there to see it in person." Aria said. She and Aquila sat at her 'throne' overlooking afterlife. Aquila sat across from Aria with her delta-frame in the default armor. She'd customized it to be quite a bit more feminine. It was now a steel-gray color with purple accents that wrapped around her generous curves like grapevines. The Lotus's symbol was displayed in a two-toned purple just above her left breast and the purple crest that was her unfolded helmet lay secured across her shoulders. Her hair was tied in a loose pony tail and two bangs hung down to frame her face; which held the biggest smirk.

"Omega wouldn't survive had you been there with me. We'd have blown this station apart."

"You're under the impression that I'd have been there to fight. Those vermin don't deserve to have my hands stained with their blood. I would have loved to just sit on a rock and watch you work." Aria said in a tone Aquila knew all too well.

"How is it that the entire galaxy see's you as cold, ruthless bitch. Yet I can only see you as a shameless flirt of a tyrant." This caused Aria to laugh out loud.

"It's not often that someone is equipped enough to gain my interest in the first place. You should be honored. Not many gain this form of my attention." This time, it was Aquila's turn to laugh.

"I'm not too sure that it wasn't a preservation of your own power that led you to befriend my brother and me."

"Of course that's what the initial interest is. I'm not stupid. You and your brother are well within your power to dominate the Terminus; perhaps even the entire galaxy if more of your people were here. I saw it in my best interest you have you as an ally. Any additional perks were simply a bonus."

Aquila took a sip of from her glass of asari wine that was just handed to her by a bartender.

"Aria, is that all I am to you…a perk?" Aquila said teasingly; a sultry smirk on her face. Aria matched it with one of her own.

"Aquila, our physical relationship aside, you have become a good friend to me and something of a sister to Liselle. I don't consider many people friends nor do I simply let people who know of my daughter live with that knowledge. That should tell you something."

"It tells me you're paranoid and antisocial," Aquila says in a fit of laughter. Aria rolls her eyes.

"I feel I must thank you, Aria." She said.

"Johan and I would have gotten along fine. But we've made leaps and bounds towards our mission thanks, in large part, to you. I know Johan finds enjoyment out of pushing your buttons but he respects the hell out of you for what you've done."

"Is that why he's an insufferable idiot."

"An insufferable idiot that handed you half the Terminus systems."

This was indeed true. Over the past ten years Johan and Aquila made a name for themselves through their work with Aria. As a result, Aria now had unofficial reign over almost all of the explored systems in the Terminus. Johan decimated just about all of her opposition by himself. Aquila served a more strategic role; helping Aria to run a more efficient ship as opposed to a tighter one like she wanted. Aquila's influence actually softened Aria a bit; though she'd sooner kill her than admit that. Respect for Aria's power would always trump respect for her as a leader. She was a lot more tolerable towards those who had her favor now, though.

"Besides, he's my twin, I know him. He wouldn't be as playful with you if he didn't hold you as one of his 'precious people.'" Aria raised an eyebrow towards Aquila.

"What does that mean exactly?" She asked.

"It means you're like family to him. Neither of us hold any illusions about a romantic relationship existing between you and I; but, he does see you as a sister of sorts. Have you not noticed how protective he's gotten of Liselle?"

That genuinely shocked Aria. She paused for a minute in thought before responding.

"You know, that does make sense."

Aquila nodded.

"He aggravates the shit out of me with his aloofness, too. One thing I can never say, though, is that he doesn't care. But, he can be quite heartless when he wants to be."

"Ah yes, I rather liked the Butcher better than the Goof," Aria said.

Johan, a.k.a. The Butcher of Torfan, otherwise known as the Butcher, is known throughout Terminus and Citadel space. He came to fame on Torfan. There he discovered the batarian's slave trade. They enslaved men, women, and children of every race and either used them for labor, or sold them for profit. This was one of the few times where Aria and the Tenno clashed. Aria, like much of the rest of the higher powers in the galaxy, disapproved of it, but were indifferent to their practice as long as they operated within a particular threshold. Mostly, the slaves were stolen from colonies in the Attican Traverse or on the fringes of Citadel and Alliance space. It was never in enough numbers to warrant any long term actions so hardly anything was done. Aquila and Johan both disapproved of this, HIGHLY. Aquila went on to flat out threaten that if she found Aria to partake in any part of the slave trade. She'd kill her herself. Fortunately for Aria, she hadn't partaken in that practice. She disagreed with it; just not enough to act. Johan did the action for her. After hearing about the attack on the human colony of Mindoir, he tracked the slavers to Torfan. The only thing anybody could catch a glimpse of was a streak of black with a glowing light blue energy; followed by a spine chilling roar, before every slaver and criminal on the entire moon was slaughtered. Johan had decimated Torfan in only about half of a day without rest. He raided their computers for data on all the batarian's slave operations and hunted every last one of them to extinction. There were still pockets of slavery throughout Batarian Space. No one ever got a glimpse of Johan; no one alive anyway. Aquila would orchestrate pickups via anonymous messages to every government who had its people in the slave camps. So, Johan would just go in, clean house and leave. Even Aria felt a small pang of fear when she saw the results of Johan's rampage. The only thing anybody knew about the Butcher was that he was in favor with Aria. Not many people messed with her after that got out.

"Actually, I think I prefer Johan the Goof." Aquila eventually said with a strange look on her face.

Aria knew why she had that look. She didn't know the details. She did however know exactly HOW the Tenno came to be. She'd seen parts of it first hand when she melded with Aquila the first time. After she'd earned Aquila's trust. She was privy to a bit more of an elaboration on what she had seen. She was never given the whole story. She did, however, know enough to guess at the reason why Aquila said what she did. She could also guess as to why Johan reacted so violently to the batarian slave trade. She pitied the Tenno, slightly, for what they went thru; especially Aquila and Johan. She wouldn't insult them with too much pity though. To her, their history made them stronger. And that strength she respected greatly.

"Well, I suppose I can tolerate it. He does keep the unsavory wretches from taking too many shots at my daughter."

Aquila smiled at that.

"Too bad they don't know he's the Butcher. The number of advancements would definitely decrease." Aria laughed at that, but nodded in agreement. Aquila sat up straight; looking into Aria's eyes with a more serious expression on her face.

"Aria, I believe our time together has come to an end."

"Oh, you've found sweeter prize to bed than me? I wouldn't think it possible." She said, the smirk never leaving her face.

Aquila smiled and shook her head.

"No, I mean that Johan and I's mission has received a new development. That mysterious ship from Eden Prime; it's definitely a reaper. Johan went to follow the lead. He's got some information I need to dig into. It's time we got started on why we came here."

Aria frowned.

"So those organic killing machines really do exist, huh?" She knew they did. It was still hard for her to believe; and it pissed her off.

"We aren't married or even bondmates Everis. Don't treat this like a break up you don't want to happen." Aquila raised her eyebrow at that; she smiled slightly.

"I suppose you've made my job easy. It's not like I need you. Besides, now I can get my hands dirty again." She said with a wider than possible smile on her face.

"Go, kick Reaper ass and help your people. I have my Empire to run."

Aquila finished her glass of wine before standing. She headed for the stairs leading down into Afterlife but stopped just short of them. She turned towards Aria one last time.

"Thank you, Aria." She said genuinely. Aria let the façade fade; giving Aquila a genuine smile and nod in return; before throwing her hand in a shooing motion.

"Now go on, get out of here. And send Bray up. I have work for him."

Aquila chuckled to herself.

"You don't miss a beat do you?"

"Well someone's got to work on that little secondary objective of yours"

Aquila looked at Aria; shock all over her face.

"Oh don't look at me like that. I'm indebted to you and Johan for what you've done here...and I pay my debts."

Aquila's smile pierced the dark lighting in Afterlife before her crest folder up over her face; forming the helmet to her delta-frame.

* * *

 **WOOOOOOO MAN! I'm surprising myself at how fast I'm cranking these bad boys out. I pray that the creativity continues to flow; cuz I gotta plot lined up to carry us all the way thru ME2 at the very least! When I figure out how I want ME3 to go...I'm not going to go there yet. I can get too excited sometimes and lose my focus. So let's just focus on one story at a time. So yes, this will be an Epic length story. I'll probably split it up into three different parts (one for each ME game) but that's future talk. Let's talk right now. Chapter 4 is in the books and things are slowly building up! I hope y'all liked the not-really-a-thing thing between Aquila and Aria. It kinda just came out as I wrote the chapter and it gave the story a bit of flavor. It's not an official ship I purposefully made what they are vague; cuz the purpose was to establish development for Aquila, and some for Aria to use later. You'll see.**

 **Thanks to zealous_spector (YOU ROCK) I got a working link for you guys to use to see the pics of my warframes. I posted the link to my profile and again, I checked them. They work. Keep in mind that I AM STILL ADDING TO THE LIST. I don't have every warframe up there yet. Mostly this is because I'm lazy. The one's I've mentioned so far in the story are up there tho so check em out! I've become obsessed with writing this. And if my work days continue to be slow, you can probably expect the next chpt to be out by the beginning of next week. Anyways, that's it. Read and Review. Thanks for sticking reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everybody! I know it's been a month and I apologize for the wait. Things got crazy between a new second job, figuring life out and writer's block on how to finish the Feros mission in this chapter and still give you guys a good read. I originally intended to cover Feros and Therum in this chapter. I decided not to cut it here and add Therum to beginning of Chapter 6, so, this chapter is just a tad bit shorter. But it's a bit juicier so I hope it evens out. Anyway, I won't bore you with a long intro. I'mma answer a few reviews and let you have at it!**

 **Amouren: I've been playing with alternating POV's because I wanted to see how people would react to it. Really, I just want to see if I can do it w/o jarring the reader. I think my first try was a little heavy handed so it should be better from here on out (I hope)**

 **Mf0012: Yeah I realized that when after I posted but I trusted the readers to know that I'm not a complete idiot in ME so I hope it doesn't bother ppl too much. Eventually I'll get around to cleaner up the first 2-3 chapters because they are REALLY rough and was done in practically one sitting so I know there are a lot of miscellaneous errors. So forgive me, I need a beta reader! lol**

 **Guest: Yeah I need a beta reader...I won't deny the errors I make...eh, I figure ppl know what I mean. Though I will try and be better with it cause I know it doesn't always work like that.**

 **helkil: I may or may not be using that idea ;)**

 **MEleeSmasher: Hmmm those frames may make an appearance. I'm currently running those in my game now to get familiar with them so we'll see; and I have EVERY intention of making this one last. I think Warframe and ME are two worlds that don't automatically clash. I'm going to write for as long as I'm allowed to!**

 **Alright, that's it! Enjoy Chappie 5!**

* * *

 _ **SSV Normandy**_

 _ **Just outside of Feros**_

* * *

Gunnery-Chief Ashley Williams had just completed her final inventory and maintenance of all the weapons and armor aboard the Normandy. She was currently dressed in Alliance fatigues; minus the jacket. Her forearms and midriff were exposed, drawing quite a few lust-filled eyes and even, still, more sneers. Ashley gritted her teeth as a few crew members passed her on their way to the elevator. The condescending looks thrown her way told her they knew of her heritage. It was the monkey that's been riding the Gunny's back since she joined the Alliance. She did her best to not let it stop her, but the constant passive aggressiveness and the countless times she was passed over for promotion were starting to weigh on her if she were honest. And now, she went and lost her entire squad. She was so angry and frustrated about it all she wanted to just up and leave. She sighed as she ran a hand thru her hair; which was uncharacteristically let down instead of in its usual bun. The commander was an honest and just woman; and treated her like a valued member of the crew. She was thankful for that. Ashley didn't exactly trust the commander's decision to have all these aliens aboard, and she told her as much. She would, however, respect it enough to try and be cordial. Her thoughts then trailed to the newest addition to the crew. Johan Everis, the Tenno, if she remembered that right. He was a complete mystery to her. She had thought he was some kind of merc, at first. She had an extensive conversation with Kaidan about why he involved himself in all this. Ashley couldn't speak for Kaidan, but her suspicion took a serious hit after hearing Johan talk a bit about his people and his mission.

'They're like fucking Juggernauts!' she thought.

Speaking of, Johan wasn't in his normal spot in the cargo hold. She noticed that he'd yet to even go to any of the other levels; not even the mess hall, so she didn't think he'd be there now if he hadn't been called. She searched around the cargo hold before finding him on the other side of the elevator; opposite from her own work station. What she saw a faint blush to arise in her cheeks.

He was bent over a desk with his delta-frame laid out upon in. All that he had on was a pair of form fitting pants and boots.

"Is he glowing?" She asked aloud as she inched closer.

His bronze-brown colored skin looked like it was inflamed and the definition in his muscles was unmistakable. It looked as if every inch of his frame was chiseled on; not to the extent where it looked unnatural, but even with the Alliance's gene therapy and conditioning regiment. Ashley was hard pressed to think of a more fit man; no matter the species.

Shaking her head of those thoughts, she walks up beside him; peeking over his work. She noticed the strange interface that seemed to be connected with his suit. He was interfacing with it via an omni-tool on his wrist, but Ashley could only barely identify it as an omni-tool. It clearly has been heavily modified.

"What'cha working on there? It's Johan right?" She said; a bit too shyly for her own tastes.

Johan turned towards her with a smile; nodding.

"Adding a new loadout to the delta-frame. It seems that Geth will be doing a lot of the shooting at us; and, I think this guy would fit in great with the team."

"A new warframe?" Ashley asked. Johan nodded again.

"Yup, my best friend back home was a calm and collected strategist. This was his first warframe. We became quite the team running missions together."

"That's a pretty cool way of paying homage to your friend. I named my weapons after my sisters. I think the weapons actually took on their personalities."

"It's always good to remember where you came from and the people who made you who you are." Ashley sort of flinched at Johan's response.

"General Williams was a smart man."

Ashley's entire body stiffened as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"How do you-"

"Some of the crew talk about you behind your back; which I'm sure you already knew. I did a bit of research on humans. So, of course I came across Shanxi…. and your grandfather."

Ashley eyes were downcast at the mention of her grandfather.

"Like I said, he was smart. Retreating was the right thing to do."

An unreadable emotion flashed across Ashley's face. She wasn't quite sure what to make of Johan when she first met him. Shepard had urged her to get to know the non-humans aboard the Normandy in order to gain a new perspective on aliens. She had some pretty harsh preconceived notions about pretty much every other race. But the Tenno are new to everyone, so she decided to approach Johan with an open mind. She didn't, however, expect this.

"This galaxy is obnoxiously petty. Every single species is so grossly enamored with the smell of their own asshole, they can't differentiate their ignorance from their own damn fecal matter."

Ashley almost choked in laughter at that overly simplified observation of the galaxy.

'Can't say that he's wrong though.' She thought.

"The Quarians are so busy playing victim, they don't even realize they fucked themselves over. The Asari take their longevity for granted. Just because the average asari will have seen the worlds spin more than most does not mean you know or have seen all there is to know or see. To assume so, is foolish. The Turians and Salarians are no better, be it guns or knowledge, any true warrior who wields a weapon should not assume superiority simply because they have yet to be truly challenged. Batarians are a blight on life itself. To willing indulge in or allow any degree of enslavement is wrong. But to do so on the level that they have is…"

A moment of anger flashed through Johan's eyes. But, in Ashley's opinion, it was enough to burnout a sun. It was only for a moment though, Johan shook his head and muttered an apology before continuing.

"And Humans, no offense Miss Williams, but you're the biggest wild card I've ever seen. And coming from a tenno, that's saying a lot. Your short lifespan pushes you to be the best you can be. I can understand the perception of a bully that other species have adopted. However, that is irrelevant. Your accomplishments have established a sense of pride in your people so great that it ultimately handicaps you in the worst situations. To condemn a whole family line in your own military just because one man made a decision that opposes your self-proclaimed sense of pride is the most asinine thing I've ever seen or heard of. If you were Tenno your grandfather would be honored. Hell he'd be on the High Council at this point. Don't let them get to you Ashley Williams. You're better than them; one of the best humanity has to offer." He said as he tinkered with his suit.

"You're a real piece of work you know that?" Ashley responds.

"So my sister tells me." Ashley laughed.

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough to mean what I said."

'Well…thank you. I needed to hear that." Johan nodded at her with a smile.

"You're welcome."

"So, this sister of yours, must be hard to have left her behind." She said as she leaned her back against the wall beside his desk.

"Bah! If only I could have left her! She came with me. It's our mission."

"Oh! Then where is she?"

"In the Terminus. We've spent the last ten years there searching for information on the Reapers. I was following up on this mess while she tied up some loose ends."

"I see, -"

" _Ground team, suit up and report to the comm room for briefing in 10 minutes."_ Shepard's voice said over the comms.

"Welp, time to get to work. See you up there." Ashley said as she made her way towards her locker.

"Looking forward to it." Johan said as he turned back to finish his work.

* * *

 _ **(Johan's POV)**_

* * *

After finishing up the tweaks on my suit, I threw it on before heading up to the comm room. As I got on the elevator, it dawned on me that this was actually my first time going to the upper floor of the Normandy. Well, other than when I first arrived. I didn't bother to pay much attention to anything on my way down to the cargo area. The commander promised an official tour, but, I guess she forgot. To be honest, so did I. After an entirely too long amount of time, I exited the elevator. The CIC was a pretty cool design. The Tenno didn't bother to outfit their ships like this. We only needed ships for the transportation and the storage of weapons. Any tactical coordination could be done via comm; or, neural link if we were on the same ship. That's one of the main reasons we neglected to build any dreadnaught class ships. We simply didn't need them. Not sure that's still the case now, though.

I really didn't have the time to think on it further as I entered the briefing room. It seemed I was last to make it. That must have been why Shepard was giving me the evil eye. Well, from the average person, she just raised her eyebrow and gave me casual, blank, look. But I've gotten good at reading people. So I knew what that look really was. How she stole that from my sister, whom she hasn't met, I won't bother to wonder.

"Sorry Commander, was adding some tweaks to my suit." I said. I wasn't really embarrassed, but I inflected that emotion in my voice to ease any tension that may have arisen. She simply nodded before gesturing towards a seat for me to sit in. I took it quickly as Shepard began to speak

"Alright team, our first stop is Feros. There has been a geth attack on Zhu's Hope, a young human colony that was establish here to explore the Prothean ruins. The colonists are still alive so it's clear they aren't the main objective for Saren. He's using the geth to search for something there. I want the entire ground team for this. Our mission is to find out what Saren is after here and why."

Shepard continued to brief us on the mission. Meanwhile, I decided to do some digging into this colony, Zhu's Hope. I tapped into the omni-tool that Aquila and I managed to integrate with the systems of our suit. I pulled up everything the public had on Zhu's Hope. Doesn't appear to be much; it's just a pioneer colony. This ExoGeni organization appears to be the one funding this expedition. If the geth are attacking this place, maybe they're looking for something that ExoGeni was working on. A reference popped up in the copy of the old orokin archives about Zhu's Hope. While it went by a different name at the time, it looks like this planet was home to an enormous Prothean megalopolis. It was mainly comprised of civilians from the collection of races that the Protheans brought under their banner. Maybe, there's some valuable data that's only recently been uncovered? I'm not sure. Guess we'll find out when we get there.

We haven't even been here for more than an hour and I already hate this place. The colony's leader, Fai Dan, gave us the rundown on what's been happening. It appears the geth ARE looking for something. They've been attacking the colony in intervals for some reason. They ha jammed up the life support utilities for the colony before Kaidan, Wrex and I resolved their issues. Meanwhile Shepard, Tali and Ashley went to clear out the geth in the neighboring tower and were pushing their way to the ExoGeni building to find out what Saren wanted with this colony. This leaves the males of the crew to sit and guard the colony from any more geth attacks. Kaidan was standing at the entrance to the colony from the tower. I chuckled internally. He looked like a well-groomed kubrow. Wrex was leaning against an adjacent building while keeping an eye on the colonist. Garrus stood next to him holding his rifle, ready to take aim on any enemy at a moment's notice. I took to meditation to expand my energy to the world around me. I could feel where the colonists were this way. It wasn't detailed, but I could pick up on slight disturbances. There was one problem, though. The entire area was a disturbance. I couldn't explain how or why, but the entire colony felt…off. I hopped down from my resting place to land near Kaidan,

"Be on your guard, something is off about this place." Kaidan didn't respond at first he just looked at me.

"Yeah, I think I've noticed that." He said. My eyes narrowed behind the visor of the default frame's helmet. It was a decent enough response. Still, there was something about the way he said it that rubbed me wrong. I wasn't going to speak on it now though. I nodded at him before walking to Garrus and Wrex; relaying the same message I gave to Kaidan.

"Mmm, yeah. This place makes my plates crawl and I don't like it." Wrex said gruffly.

"I agree with Wrex. Something doesn't feel right." Garrus said

"Joker, any luck contacting Shepard?" I asked.

"No, communications are still down."

"Joker, keep trying, something's definitely up here." Kaidan said. His face frowning at the thought of not being able to contact her.

"I wish we had contact with Shepard. I'm getting a bad feeling." I said before walking off. I activated a Codex scanner and went for higher ground to see if I could pick up on anything. It was then that I saw it. An invisible mist of some kind was permeating throughout the colony. I tinkered with the scanner to get a closer look. It wasn't mist at all. The colony was infected with some kind of spore. You could blame it on the local flora, but the spores appeared to be identical in every colonist. Nature doesn't work like that. They were microscopic you can't even tell they're in the air. Apparently they nested in the brain and alter its functionality. It was effectively mind control if enough spores attached. Every muscle in my body tensed at that. That's why everyone seemed so off.

* * *

 _ **General POV**_

 _ **ExoGeni Headquarters**_

* * *

"No! I don't want to review protocol!" A Krogan screamed at the ExoGeni V.I. The V.I. took the form of human male in front of the platform. A blank face stared back at the frustration and anger were etched onto the krogans's as the V.I. responded, for the fifth time, with

"Please contact your supervisor for level four clearance."

Having had enough, the burly Krogan slammed his hands on the console and got right in the V.I.'s 'face.'

"Dammit! Tell me what I want before I blast your virtual ass into actual dust!" He screamed. The V.I. just stared at him blankly, creating an awkward silence, before responding.

"I am unable to comply, if you there are no further inquiries, please step aside. A queue is forming behind you for the use of this console."

The krogan, confused, turned around to face the barrel of shotgun, which promptly reduced him to a dead carcass. Shepard returned the shotgun to the small of her back and stepped toward the V.I. She outright ignored its warning about firearms in the ExoGeni work place and questioned it about what the geth and the, now dead, krogan were after. The V.I. explained the details of an ExoGeni experiment known as Species 37. It was a plant-based lifeform called the Thorian, and it had the unusual ability to infect organisms with mind-controlling spores via inhalation. Worse than that, it was located directly under Zhu's Hope.

"Are you telling me that ExoGeni knew its people were getting infected." Shepard said through gritted teeth.

"It was deemed necessary to assess the true potential of Species 37."

"That's why they were acting so strange." Tali said.

"How could you do that to your own people." Ashley said, not bothering to hold in her disgust.

"We should contact Joker and warn the others." Tali said.

"We can't that field is still blocking all communication." Shepard responded.

"Then we need to take it out and get back to the outpost." Ashley said

"Agreed, let's move!" Shepard said as she brought her shotgun out and moved into the room behind the console; Ashley and Tali were hot on her tail.

The next room was unrecognizable as there was a sizeable hole in the floor that appeared to drop two stories. The broken concrete appeared to provide a safe way through and led in the general direction of the geth ship, the source of the comm jam, so The Commander slid down the hole with Tali and Ashley behind her. As they approached the end, Shepard noticed a group of geth standing below the opening on they were about to land on. Repositioning herself, Shepard leaped off the concrete slab, through the hole and into the room with her shotgun in one and an omni-blade forming in the other. She landed on the back of one geth with her omni-blade piercing thru its back and out its chest cavity before they hit the ground. Shepard ripped the blade upwards and through its head before rolling to avoid a plasma shot from the geth rifle. She rolled towards one of the geth as she gathered biotic energy to form a barrier. She felt two rounds hit her from the back as the barrier completed just in time to absorb the damage. Simultaneously, her shotgun did away with the geth in front of her. The geth behind her were taken out by Ashley and Tali. Shepard nodded to them both and pushed forward from room to room, tearing the geth apart as they went. Eventually, they came upon with two geth snipers on a raised catwalk at the far end of the room below them were at least five krogan surrounded by geth troopers.

"Commander there's a geth PSi valve behind the two snipers. If we can overload the pressure, we should be able to blow the clamps that's holding the geth ship to this building. That'll break their communication jammers." Tali said

"Alright, I saw some stairs running along the opposite wall from us, Ash take the snipers out while Tali and I push through theses geth."

"On it!" Ashley said as she switched from her assault rifle to a sniper one.

"You sure we can take them Commander? That's a lot of geth, not to mention the krogan." Tali said. She couldn't help but to be intimidated by their numbers.

"It's nothing we haven't dealt with in getting here Tali. And you played a large part in getting us here. Don't doubt yourself now." Shepard responded, smiling.

Tali nodded her head and readied a combat drone before reloading her shotgun.

With that Shepard charged forward, tossing two grenades towards a group of geth as she did so. The geth were obliterated on the spot, but they alerted the rest of the room to their presence. Ashley took cover behind a fallen pillar, waiting for the two snipers to pop up from their cover. The rest of the geth tried to flank around Tali and Shepard, who were moving around the edge of the room toward the staircase. This brought the geth closer to Ashley who took out the one closest to her before they discovered her. This brought one of the sniper's attention to Ashley. In one shot he dropped her shields forcing her back to her cover. The flanking geth then turn to pounce on her before being gunned down from behind by Tali. The combat drone had the second sniper occupied and unable to get a shot off on the approaching Shepard. However, all five of the Krogan stood in front of her and three of them were charging. Shepard charged her biotics as they got closer.

"Tali, now!" she screamed as she shot forward in a biotic charge just as the first krogan reached her position. Her biotics carried her straight through the charging krogan, knocking them off their feet. She charged right into the face of the krogan farthest away from her and fired a round point blank into his face, killing him. Tali had turned around and fired on a collection of sticky grenades Shepard had stuck into the ceiling above her last position, which was where the three krogan had fallen. Tali shot the grenades, causing an explosion which caused the already weakened ceiling to collapse on top of three krogan. The final krogan was taken out by Shepard's biotic throw which sent him through an opening in the wall and into a free fall to his death. The unoccupied sniper turned to take a shot at Shepard, but was put by a round from Ashley, who immediately turned and finished off the sniper who had just got rid of the combat drone. Shepard and Tali then rushed up to the valve and immediately went to work in overloading the pressure on the clamps. Shepard and Ashley took overwatch while Tali worked. A few geth had come through an adjacent doorway at the far end of the room, but met a quick end via Ashley and Shepard before they could do real damage. Tali finished a second later and the clamps exploded, disabling the geth ship and sending it plummeting down into the depths of the Prothean ruins on which ExoGeni was built.

"That should do it Commander. The fields should be down and now we can deal with this Thorian thing." Tali said.

"Good work. Both of you." Shepard said.

"Our works not done let Commander. Let's take out this plant thing and set those colonists free!" Ashley replied with passion. Shepard nodded.

"Agreed. Let's get moving the geth will be crawling all over this place soon."

Suddenly, Joker's voice came over their comms.

"Normandy to Shepard, I repeat Normandy to Shepard! Come on Shepard talk to me!"

"That you Joker? What's going on over there?"

"The colonists are bugging out commander! They're banging on the hull, trying to claw their way into the ship. Some of them have gotten a hold of some weapons and are firing on Kaidan and the others as well!"

"Can you patch them thru to me!?" Shepard said as she motioned for Ashley and Tali to double time it back to the Mako.

"Shepard?!" Kaidan said over the comm.

"Kaidan what's your status?!"

"Shepard, the colonists have us in a bind. We're trying not to kill them, but they're trying to force us out of the colony. One minute they were fine, and the next they just started shooting. We haven't killed anyone yet though. We're holding up in the tower. They don't seem to want to chase us in here. Johan disappeared though commander. I have no idea where he went." Kaidan said

Shepard heard the bit of contempt in his voice but she had no time for it now. Garrus chimed in before she could respond.

"He went to the other side of the colony, he said something didn't feel right and went to investigate. We've tried reaching him on the comm but it's just static."

"I'm willing to bet he's found the Thorian." Ashley said

"My thoughts exactly." Shepard agreed.

"Thorian?" Kaidan replied.

"An ancient sentient plant that's been controlling the colonists, it's living underneath the colony."

"What?!" Kaidan exclaimed.

"There's no time to explain beyond that. We're on our way to the tower. Even with their weapons they shouldn't be able to much damage. Just hold the tower until we get there but do NOT kill the colonists!"

"Understood!" Kaidan replied.

"Alright team let's double time it back to the rest of our squad." Shepard said as they made their way out of ExoGeni headquarters.

* * *

 _ **Below Zhu's Hope**_

* * *

Johan stood at the bottom of the stairs that led to this underground ruin. The Codex scanner had shown an increased concentration of spores around a huge crate which blocked the access to the ruin's entrance. But thanks to an old friend, that crate now had a hole punching clean thru it. Johan pressed forward slowly in his Excalibur warframe, dual wielding two skanas. One was held in front of him in a defensive position, the other, held above his head ready to strike. The room he walked into was poorly lit and very damp and it only became a worse trend the further in he went. Johan came upon room filled with pods that burst as soon as he entered the room. Inside the pods were these green creatures unlike any he had ever seen.

"I'm getting bad vibes about this. Infested like vibes."

Johan hated the Infested. The creatures all turned to him at once and charged, letting out inhumane screams as they charged.

"Yep, definitely Infested-like" He said as he made a horizontal strike across his front. The sword was bathed in his exalted blade, and so, it let loose a powerful strike that tore the creatures to ribbons.

"Well, at that was anticlimactic." Johan sighed.

"At least they're easier to kill. And here I thought this would be fun."

Johan hadn't noticed that the walls were lined with vines and other plant-like appendages. He also didn't notice that they were forming more creepers silently behind him. That is, until one of said creatures had a particularly strong looking vine wrapped around his throat.

"Ack! Spoke too soon!" He said between breaths as the creature tried to squeeze the life out of him. Johan reverse-gripped one of his blades and drove it behind him and into the side of the creature which screeched as it let him go. Wasting no time, Johan turned around with his other blade and beheaded the thing. The other creatures weren't idle during this, and immediately pounced after forming. Johan spotted this and cut down two of them that tried to take him down from his left. He then spun to do the same to his right but before he could, they were shredding apart by an onslaught of bullets courtesy of Shepard and the rest of the crew.

"And that's why you don't go off alone." Garrus said in a sing-song tone.

"What? I had it." Johan said shrugging. Shepard marched up to him and got in his face. She did not like him dismissing it that easily

"Had it or not we are a team! I can't trust you if you're going to go alone on some hunch! When you agreed to join us you agreed to follow me. Like it or not that means this is done my way and you are my responsibility! And I will not have a lone wolf costing himself his own life or the lives of my team. Am I understood?!"

Shepard said vehemently. The whole team was shocked by her outburst. Everyone except Kaidan, that is. He knew where the passion behind they anger came from; Akuze. Johan hung his head in shame and bowed.

"My apologies Commander. It shall not happen again."

Shepard was almost shocked out of her anger. She expected him to fire back in anger, maybe pout. She felt, at first, like she was scolding a child; on account of the playful nature that he always expresses. She didn't expect something so…proper. She mulled it over in her head for a second before nodding.

"Good" she said has she deflated, letting her anger pass.

"Now let's move up and find this Thorian." She said.

"I'm assuming that's what it's called." Johan asked as the team moved forward.

"You know about it? You weren't exactly around when I informed the team." She said without looking at him. Johan took it in stride.

"I had a bad feeling about the colony so I used my codex scanner to try and figure out what it was. My scanner picked up the spores permeating through the colony. I told the others to be on their guard and to wear their helmets and then I traced the source here." He replied smoothly.

"And you didn't inform us, why?" Kaidan said coolly.

"I wasn't sure what I'd find. And I didn't know how protected you'd be if I'd found something worse than spores."

"Oh and you just happen to know something could be worse than spores?" Kaidan replied condescendingly.

"Yes, I do." Johan replied coolly.

"Something from your system?" Garrus asked.

Johan didn't get time to reply as more creatures came screeching thru from an adjacent room to the one they entered. They were in larger numbers, but were cut down quickly. Shepard directed the team to follow thru the room the creatures came from.

"Keelah they're hideous" Tali said as they stepped over the dozens of dead creatures.

"And they stink!" Ashley added.

"They aren't a fun kill. They die too easily." Wrex sighed in disappointment.

"Shut up before you jinx us!" Garrus said as they made their way down a corridor.

"So you were saying Johan, you've faced a Thorian before."

"No, I've never heard of a Thorian. They just reminded me of the Infested."

"Infested? Who or what are they?" Tali asked.

"You don't want to know, trust me." Was Johan's only reply.

The corridor was a lot longer than Shepard or her team expected. However, they eventually found that the end opened up into a huge cavern. Water fell freely across jagged rock and small rays of sunlight peppered the area. It would have been serene were it not for the huge plant-like creature that hung in the middle of it. Its vines were woven throughout the ruins of old buildings that outlined the walls of the cavern. The face, if one could call it that, was made up of a series of indentations on a flat surface of flesh. A mouth sat under the 'face' and a collection of tentacles were protruding from it. It positioned itself to hangover a jagged platform in from of Shepard and her crew before the plant seemed to bloated for a second before contracting. As it did a green figure fell through the tentacles in its mouth. The figure was an asari, only, its skin and eyes were green.

"Unfortunately, this is not the grossest thing I've seen in my life. Though it's definitely top ten." Johan said.

"I'm not sure I want to know what you've seen that beats this on the gross meter." Ashley said. Tali shook her head, silently agreeing with Ashley

Wrex was absolutely repulsed. No other expression could be deciphered from reading his face.

"This…was not covered in my training manuals." Garrus stated.

"What the hell?" Kaidan said in shock.

"That does not look like any plant I've ever seen." Shepard said as the asari stepped forward.

"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe."

"Deja, fucking Vu…" Johan muttered to himself. Shepard heard it but paid it no mind.

"You gave something to Saren. Something I need. Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone…and those who were thought to be gone." She said. looking directly at Johan as she said that last part. The crew looked at Johan curiously. Johan didn't respond.

"The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the Long Cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given. The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!"

"Saren is a threat to all those that respect life. We can put a stop to him if you help us!" Shepard pleaded.

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short, but they have gone on too long! Your blood will feed the ground and the new growth!"

The asari then reached for a shotgun on the small of her back, but before she could, Johan leaped forward in a burst of energy he landed in front of Shepard in a flash of Orange light. When everybody's vision returned, Johan stood in front of the asari thrall with both his swords bathed in a bright burnt orange energy. Even his suit was alight with energy the tribal, flame-like areas of his suit were lit with the same colored energy as well The tips of the blades were pointed downward and were centimeters above the ground. The rest of the crew had their weapons at the ready but nobody fired, yet. They were halfway in shock, curious as to what Johan was doing.

"You know what I am." He said.

"Then you know what I am capable of. Make one move towards anyone and I'll be sending you to your death."

"You are the product." The asari said in wonderment.

"What?"

"The Old Growth feels the scent your flesh. You are from the old cycle, repurposed for the new."

"I'm afraid you'll need to elaborate." Johan said calmly. Though he was anything but, to be honest.

"The Foreigners, the Orokin, sought communion with those of the Old Growth in the old cycle. They took flesh freely given for knowledge freely given. Knowledge that lead the Old Growth to outlast the old cycle. The Old Growth remembers the Foreigners and their studies. Experiments on our flesh. In attempts to replicate it."

Suddenly the energy flow stopped in Johan's swords as he stood up in shock.

"The Infested." He said aloud.

Shepard stared at Johan. She had no idea what they were talking about.

"The Old Growth aloud the Foreigners this freedom in exchange for preservation when they dismantled the Empire."

"So the Orokin, formed a truce with you? They saved your life!" Johan's frame shifted to its default state as he spoke. His helmet fell away, revealing his face. His eyes were glowing in anger and a hint of shock.

Yet, you're trying to take one of theirs? Did we push lies on you? Have we ever?!"

The asari stood in silence, eyes downcast. Before looking directly into Johan's.

"We remember you Orokin. We…will honor your truce for continued preservation. What will you require?"

Shepard couldn't contain the shock anymore. It was displayed on her face clearly at this point. The others were in varying stages of shock.

"How the hell did he do that?" Ashley whispered.

Everybody was too stunned to respond. Kaidan eyes did, however, narrow.

"Give Shepard the information she desires, and give me the information on the ones who took down the Empire. That's all I ask."

"It shall be given."

After the Thorian spoke. The asari in front of them dissolved in to green goop. In the same instant, a pop on an adjacent wall burst and an identical asari fell from it. Except her skin was the purple color common in some asari. Her eyes were still green, though.

"I'm free." She said in shock. The asari approached the group slowly as if she were getting her bearings.

"Who are you?" Shepard said defensively.

"My name is Shiala. I serve—I served Benezia. When she allied herself with Saren so did I. Benezia foresaw the influence Saren would have. She tried to guide him down a gentler path. But, Saren is compelling. Benezia lost her way."

"Are you saying Saren can control minds?!" Shepard asked.

"Benezia underestimated Saren as I did. We came to believe in his cause and his goals. The strength of the influence is troubling."

"She tried to manipulate Saren, but in the end her plan backfired." Garrus said matter-of-factly.

"But I thought Asari had some of the most powerful minds in the galaxy. How did one fall under Saren's control?" Kaidan said

"My thoughts exactly, and Shiala is a matriarch, the most seasoned and powerful of asari in every aspect, especially mental fortitude. Care to explain Shiala?" Shepard said

"Saren has a vessel. An enormous ship unlike anything I've ever seen. He calls it Sovereign. It can dominate the minds of its followers."

' _This is the work of the Reapers.'_ Shepard thought as her gaze shifted to Johan. He hasn't spoken since the Thorian released Shiala. He looks almost lost. It only made Shepard wonder what that conversation with the Thorian was about. He became an even bigger mystery to her. She couldn't have this many unknowns on her team. She needed answers.

"They become indoctrinated to Saren's will. The process is subtle. It can take days, weeks, but, in the end, it is absolute. I was a willing slave when Saren brought me to this world. He needed my biotics to communicate with the Thorian; to learn its secrets. Saren offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between Saren and the Thorian."

No one saw Johan's eyes flash dangerously orange at the mention of slave.

"Saren's pretty quick to betray his own people." Shepard said in disgust.

Shiala nodded.

"He was quick to betray the Thorian too. After he had what he wanted, he ordered the geth to destroy all evidence of its existence. He knows you are after the Conduit and are following his steps. He wanted to get rid of the Thorian so that you could not gain the Cipher.

"The Cipher?" Shepard asked.

"The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions. But they are unclear, confusing. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their culture, history, their very existence. The Thorian were here long before the Protheans built this city. It watched and studied them. And when they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it. It is how it knew about you." Shiala said. pointing at Johan, who's eyes narrowed

"So the Cipher helped Saren think like a Prothean. Is there a way I can gain that knowledge? I need it to stop Saren." Shepard said seriously.

"There may be a way, while inside the Thorian I melded with his mind, our thoughts intertwined, became one. I came to know the knowledge of the Cipher; understand it. I can transfer the knowledge from my mind to yours, as I did with Saren."

"Could you do it now?" She replied immediately.

Shiala nodded.

"Relax your mind, Commander, deep breaths, let go of your physical shell, reach out and grasp the threads that bind us together." Shepard recalled a similar…interaction with Shiala back on the Citadel. She subconsciously wondered if all asari melded like this. She blushed lightly as she recalled the experience with Shiala.

"Embrace Eternity."

Suddenly, the vision implanted in her mind came together. Yet she still couldn't make it out. However, she could feel every emotion. The tiredness of muscles from the long battle the heartbreak of losing brothers, and sisters, mothers and husbands, wives and children all slaughtered by heartless machines. She felt their despair, their rage, their hopelessness; all in a matter of moments. When Shepard turned to reality she was dazed, but otherwise fine.

' _That's…going to take time to process.'_ She thought.

"I have given you the Cipher. Just as I did with Saren. The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now." Shiala said.

"Shepard, are you alright? What happened?!" Kaidan asked worriedly.

"I saw…something. It still doesn't make any sense. But I felt their emotions. The emotions of a dying people." Shepard said sadly.

"I'm sorry if you have suffered. There was truly no other way. You have been given a great gift. The memories of an entire people. And You needed the Cipher it will take time for your mind to acclimate to it and for you to understand the vision."

Shepard shook her head free of the lingering mental fatigue and nodded.

"We should have Chakwas take a look at you Commander. Just in case."

Johan shook his head. Shepard nodded and smiled towards Kaidan before turning back to Shiala.

"Now that you're free of the Thorian what will you do?" Shepard asked

"With your permission, I'd like to stay and help rebuild Zhu's Hope and right the wrongs I helped bring here. With the threat gone and the…truce with your friend here, the Thorian is refraining from any interaction with the colony, it wanted me to tell you that when we leave. It will do its part to seal this place and prevent unwanted guests from returning." Shepard nodded in acceptance of her answer before turning to leave.

"Before we go, I must ask you something." Johan said. stopping everybody in their tracks.

"By all means, technically it is you I owe for saving my life. I am in your debt." Shiala said with a respectful bow at the end.

"It is no trouble. I am glad you are free. I must ask though, What, if anything, does Saren know of me and my people. Did you give him anything when you gave him the Cipher?"

Shiala shook her head.

"No, Saren only wanted to know about the Protheans so that is all he received. The Thorian's knowledge of the Orokin came from a personal interaction with your kind. I do not know the details, but I do know your people studied the Thorian as extensively as they could before they disappeared."

Johan hummed in thought before nodding.

"Thank you, and one more final request. Could you past the Cipher along to me as well?"

This shocked Shepard, as well as the rest of the crew. They couldn't think of why he would need it.

"There are some questions in my people's past I think your time with the Thorian could answer."

Shiala nodded.

"If that is what you wish..."

"My apologies, my name is Johan. And I thank you. I'll consider any debt you feel you owe paid for this." He said with a genuine smile on his face.

She smiled back at him as she sauntered forward.

"Relax your mind Johan. Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live, each emotion must mark another's spirit."

Johan couldn't remember the last time he'd willingly done this. Opening up his mind to anyone. The mind was the most intimate and precious instrument to all Tenno. Their mind's strength allowed them to survive. It endured so much. And he was willingly sharing it with a non-Tenno, in order to possibly save all Tenno.

' _Would my people be proud?'_ He couldn't help but wonder.

"We are all connected, every living being united in a single glorious existence." Shiala said as she placed her hands on either side of his head. Their faces, were centimeters apart.

"Open your mind to the universe, Johan. Embrace Eternity!"

Shepard and her crew had no idea what to make of any of it. Wrex, Tali, Garrus and Ashley didn't understand it a bit. But they picked up that it was something deeply personal. So they chose to let it be. Kaidan couldn't help but be a little suspicious, even though it wasn't his place to say anything. Johan was a complete anomaly to him. He couldn't see how the Commander could trust him. Shepard herself only had more questions piling up in her head.

When the melding had finished everyone studied their faces for any reaction. Johan was reeling from the experience. From his own experiences with the uses of the mind, he thought he knew what to expect from an Asari's mind meld. He HORRIBLY underestimated the experience. He basically experienced Shiala's entire life through her own eyes. Every. Single. Experience. Every thought, every emotion. It was…

' _Incredible'_ He thought. Now, he understood the intimacy that involved it. And why it was such a sacred thing among Asari. Then, he realized; just as he had experienced her life, she had experienced his.

Shiala's face was one of pure shock. Pure unfiltered shock. Her mind completely shut down after experiencing Johan's life.

Shepard and the others had no idea how long she stood there in silence, but they would all agree it felt longer.

Suddenly Shiala looked up at Johan. Their eyes met and Johan could not make out the emotion displayed in them. All he knew was that it was incredibly. Suddenly, she grabbed his face and slowly brought his lips to hers. No one in the cavern was more shocked than Johan. He had no idea what she saw that made her do this. He did the only thing he knew to do, he responded to the kiss in kind. The others couldn't help but feel awkward. Some looked away others merely shrugged it off as something they wouldn't understand. Shepard just tacked it on top of her mountain of questions. This kiss itself was short but telling to the two of them. It wasn't a kiss of passion or of love, or sympathy but one of understanding. They separated a moment later. Shiala was the first to speak. Johan didn't even realize she was still holding his face as she looked into his eyes. What you were…what you have become, I don't know a single soul who could live thru that and still lay claim to the things that makes life glorious. I understand the gravity of this meld and what it means to you to allow it to happen. Johan, Tenno, you have opened my eyes. If there is any way I can assist you in your mission. You can confide your troubles in me. I am forever a friend to you and your people.

Johan was dumbfounded.

' _She was moved that much'_ Johan had not allowed himself to cry since his initial escape from the Orokin. He'd be damned to say he wasn't close to it now. Somehow he held it in before a tear fell. Even still, he clasped his hands over hers as brought them to his chest.

"Had I known that would have happened I wouldn't have subjected you to that experience. I'm sorry if you've suffered, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can't even begin to describe what this experience has done for me. I cannot speak for my people, but likewise, if you are ever in need of assistance you have a friend in Johan Everis. That much I promise you."

Shiala smiled at that and nodded her thanks with tears in her eyes.

Johan closed his eyes and took a deep breath as they separated.

They walked back towards the rest of the group with Shepard at the front. Johan met her eyes and inwardly cowered at her stare.

He closed his eyes and sighed as he scratched his head.

There was definitely some explaining to do.

* * *

 **And...CUT!**

 **That's chappie 5! Thank you so much for reading. As always, read and review! Let me know how good or bad is guys! I need to know so I can improve and continue writing!**

 **Also, for those that care look me to make some changes to the warframe pics for Johan and Aquila! I'm making a few decisions on who to add and changing the color schemes of some cuz I found some that look cooler!**

 **That's all I have peeps, Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok guys, sorry this one cuts a bit short, but I had inspiration for a slightly different take on chapter 6. So it's a tad bit shorter, with a lot of important info I'm not going to spoil anything else, I'm just going to let you guys have it! I'll respond to reviews from 5 and 6 next time,**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

 _ **SSV Normandy**_

* * *

Commander Shepard sat at her desk in deep thought. She had just finished sending off the report from the Feros mission and for the life of her she couldn't recall stranger mission. The Thorian and the Cipher were enough on their own, but, she knew that she would eventually it would work itself out. But the entire interaction between the Thorian and her resident tenno sent her mind for an endless loop.

' _Who are the Orokin?'_

' _Why did the Thorian refer to Johan as one?'_

' _And that melding with Shiala, what was that about? Did it have something to do with whatever the Thorian was saying?'  
'Could this all have something to do with the Reapers?'_

All these questions and more flew thru Shepard's head at least twice an hour. The most vexing part is that she couldn't figure out why they plagued her at all. She chose not to dwell on that, though. The most important thing is ensuring the trust and safety of her team. To her, that was important. And that means she needed at least some of these questions answered. With her mind made up, she showered and dressed in her usual fatigues and made her way towards the cargo room. She'd given the ground team a day to decompress. So, she hoped Johan would be forthcoming enough to cooperate. If not, then they would have an issue.

Shepard entered the mess hall on her way to the elevator when she was stopped by Kaidan.

"Commander, may I have a word with you?" Kaidan

"I always make time for my crew. Talk to me."

"It's about our tenno friend," Kaidan said. not bothering to hide the distaste of using the word 'friend'.

"You have a problem with Johan?" Shepard asked.

"Well, yes. Quite frankly, I don't trust him, Commander. And I don't mean to question your decisions and I'm certainly not questioning your leadership, but I just can't see why he's with us on this mission. He has no interest in Saren; he's a complete wild card. Was he hired for this?"

"No, I asked him to join and he agreed. He has his own agenda. It happens to coincide ours; just for different reasons."

"Forgive me if I'm overstepping, but I still don't think that warrants him being here. How can any of us even trust him? He's not even a part of Council. He all but refused to even meet with them!"

"Your point is made Kaidan!" Shepard said forcefully.

"Right now, I can't say it's a bad one." She continues.

"Look, I'll come clean. I feel that a bigger threat is coming. Even if, no, WHEN we stop Saren I find a hard time believing all this is just going to end there."

"You mean the Reapers?" Kaidan replied.

"Shepard, whatever comes our way, we can figure it out. Why do we need him?"

"He's faced one before. Or at least, he's claimed to. He has to have knowledge of them otherwise why would he have come as far as he claims to?"

"That's just it, how do we know if any of that is true? He could just be lying about it all for more nefarious means."

Ashley overheard the conversation as she was leaving the mess hall and steps next to Kaidan to add her two cents

"I'm not saying I completely agree with the Lieutenant, Commander. I don't think He's here for anything nefarious, but, Kaidan does have a point. All we really know is that he's after the Reapers and claims to have defeated one. We don't really know who he is."

"I agree, Williams." Shepard nodded.

"That's why I'm going to find out." With that, she made a beeline for the elevator.

Shepard entered the cargo hold in search for the tenno. She found him in the personal space he carved out in the corner of the room. He was seated in the lotus position with his hands resting palm-up in his lap. She deduced he must be in some deep form of meditation, as he was floating at least two feet above the ground. He was still in his delta-frame, but without the helmet, so Shepard got a good look at his face. She thought she saw his skin and hair glow faintly; like someone stuck a glow-stick in his head. She shook off the absent-minded thought as she stepped up towards him.

"Commander Shepard." Johan said coolly.

It took everything not to flinch when he said her name. His eyes were still closed. So, she assumed he wasn't aware of her presence.

"To what do I owe the pleasure." He asked.

"I have a few questions for you if you don't mind."

Johan breaths became slow, but he increased the depths of his breaths. Shepard assumed it was a part of his meditation. Other than that, there was no outward acknowledgment of her statement until he eventually spoke.

"Not at all, ask away." He said.

"What the hell happened under Zhu's Hope?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific, Commander." Shepard's eyebrow twitched in mild annoyance.

"How about your conversation with the Thorian?"

"Ah! Well, that is none of your business." Her eyebrow twitched again.

"Excuse me?"

"I learned something about my past that I didn't know before. If it was anything related to your mission I would tell you, but since it has more to do with mine and nothing with yours, I don't feel you need to know."

"Wrong. As a member of this team and a rent-free resident on my ship, it IS my business to know." She said sternly. Her annoyance was further increased by the fact that Johan had yet to leave his meditative state.

"I don't mean to be hostile, but the nature of what we talked about is a deeply personal matter. It is beyond your realm of comprehension."

"Bullshit it is!" Shepard exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"You're wanting to build trust when you're basically demanding I spill my life story? Maybe you should try respect first." Johan said

"First, I don't want your whole life story. Second, you're one to talk about respect. You're meditating instead actually having a conversation." Johan's eyebrow twitched this time. He lost concentration on his meditation and promptly landed on his feet before opening his eyes. The Commander noticed the orange in his eyes was dominating the blue when usually it was the opposite. Also, the burnt orange was noticeably brighter. They glared straight into the commander's red orbs which were doing their best to mimic the deepest pits of hell. The staring contest lasted a minute before Shepard broke away; sighing.

"Look, I apologize for any lines I may have crossed. But you have to understand where I'm coming from. The Normandy isn't a public transit to carry you to your next destination. If following your mission means you're sticking with us, then during that time you are a part of my squad. You are not my pawn. You are not my soldier. But, if you are a part of my squad, we at the very least need to be good acquaintances. That means getting to know each other. I don't know you very well, but this uppity passive-aggressive act is not you. That much, I can tell. Add that to your solo act on Feros and that breeds distrust from where I'm standing. You're entitled to whatever secrets you want. I can assure you no one here is hunting for them. But, if you do plan on joining this team you're going to have work a bit harder to earn your keep. We're en route to Therum to pick up Liara. You have until the completion of that mission to decide." Shepard made her exit after that; leaving Johan to glare at her back as she left.

* * *

 _ **SSV Normandy**_

 _ **Therum**_

* * *

Johan stepped off the elevator and into the CIC with a bored expression on his face. The tension between Shepard and him resulted in Shepard leaving him behind while the rest of the team went in search of Liara. Johan saw it coming and didn't really bother to argue with it. He doubted that this hunt for the asari would provide anything fruitful for him. So he spent his time doing maintenance on his weapons. When he was done with that, he decided he'd explore the ship a bit. The stares he got as he patrolled the ship did little to bother him. So, it was no surprise that he flat out ignored Pressley, Shepard's XO, who glared at him with a distrust he didn't even bother to disguise. Johan busied himself with studying the galaxy map that Shepard and Pressley use to plot courses for the Normandy. It didn't compare to the Scimitar in Johan's opinion but any virtual depiction of the galaxy itself was a beauty to look at. He found himself gazing at a particular area of the map. Where the galaxy looks like a part of it has been cut out. It wouldn't look that way to anyone who knew what the galaxy truly looked like as a whole. But, being a tenno, Johan knew where an anomaly existed; an anomaly his kind had created.

' _No, not my kind.'_ He thought.

Johan, like any tenno, despised the thought of being related to the Orokin. It seemed silly to him that Thorian referred to him as such. His exposure to the void rendered him anything but Orokin. He was Tenno and he knew it. The truth is, he didn't want to admit the bad memories hearing the name Orokin had revived in him. Johan shook the thought aside for now and decided to visit the cockpit and see what another ship's navigation looked like. The door opened quickly as Johan stepped thru to find Joker monitoring the ground team's progress. Hearing the door open, Joker turns from his console to see who had entered.

"Well if it isn't our resident alien from the deep dark nowhere, come to speak to the common folk!"

Johan merely raised an eyebrow at Joker's comment before chuckling and shaking his head.

"Any particular reason you decided to grace me with your presence, Oh Foreign One?"

"Just stretching my legs," Johan replied.

"Oh, did the deep, dark cargo hold got too boring for you? Well, I see why you came to me now. You're here for some glorious entertainment courtesy of yours truly."

"Joker the Jester?" Johan said smugly.

"Oh ho! He does do something besides meditate and kill! Touche, mister funny man. But don't call me that again."

"You've got to have a cool sounding name if you're going for entertainment here. Joker the Jester is catchy."

"How about 'Best Damn Pilot in the Galaxy' sound?"

"Too much of a mouth full your audience would mentally choke trying to chew on it."

"Are you kidding me?! It's gold, not to mention accurate."

"A pilot who's confident in himself? Good, I'd be concerned for my safety if you weren't."

"Is that supposed to be some kind of backhanded compliment? Damn, and I thought you'd be good at this."

Johan laughed out loud. He didn't expect to find this much amusement in the cockpit.

"Actually, I'm very witty if you must know."

"I've seen you throw a few nice jabs, sure," Joker replied.

"But you're an amateur at best. Not even remotely in my league."

"You ever think that maybe I'm holding back because I don't have friends around here?" Johan responded.

"And there lies why you're an amateur. A true master can throw good wit and sarcasm in any situation. I could have Saren himself torn to ribbons by my puns alone."

Johan rolled his eyes.

"Uh huh. Well, I'll have to remember that if I ever come across him. If he tries to kill me, I'll just call on you to blow him away with your sarcasm." He said.

"Too easy, I'd just break my arm off and throw it at him."

"You sure it wouldn't just break and blow away in the wind before it reached him?" Johan said, smiling.

"Oh ha ha, make fun of the guy with brittle bone disease," Joker said while rolling his eyes.

"You have brittle-bone disease? Huh, well, that just makes it funnier!" Johan said laughing.

"Ok, now you're just being an asshole and how did you not know I had brittle-bone disease; you totally just made a joke about it."

Johan shrugged.

"What made you think I'd know anything about your body I was making a joke about your size."

"Never make a joke about another man's size," Joker said with a deadpan face.

Johan didn't catch it at first, but he laughed out loud when he did. But, before he could respond, Shepard's voice sounded over the comms.

"Joker! Get the Normandy airborne and lock in on my signal. On the double, mister!"

Joker spun back towards the console and started swiping patterns onto the interface.

"Aye Aye. Commander. Secure and aweigh. ETA, eight minutes."

"I guess I should leave you to it. I'll be waiting for them in debriefing." Johan said as he walked out.

Shepard and the rest of the ground team were now in debriefing with Johan. They were all seated except for Shepard, who stood in the middle of the circle of occupied chairs. Johan was propped up on a wall in the back of the room. He crossed his arms as he surveyed the crew. He noticed the addition of a young, beautiful asari dressed in a green researcher's uniform.

' _This must be Liara.'_ Johan thought.

"Too close, Commander, ten more seconds and we would be swimming in molten sulfur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference." Joker said over the comm.

Johan chuckled.

"We almost died out there, and your pilot is making jokes?!" Liara asked in shock.

"Joker pulled our asses out of the fire. He's entitled to a few bad jokes." Shepard replied.

"I see. It must be a human thing." Liara said innocently.

"I'm sorry Commander, I'm afraid I don't have much experience interacting with your species. But I am grateful to you. You saved my life back there, and not just from the volcano. The geth would have either killed me or dragged me off to Saren." Liara shivered at the very thought of it.

"What did Saren want with you. Do you know anything about the Conduit?" Kaidan asked.

"Only that it is somehow linked to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the last fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them." Liara responded.

Johan's eyebrows rose at that.

"I've got my own theory about why the Protheans disappeared," Shepard said.

' _As do I'_ Johan thought to himself.

"With all due respect Commander, I have heard every theory out there. The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left remarkably little behind. It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues."

Johan nodded.

' _Same thing Aquila and I concluded when we were looking into the Prothean's fate.'_

"But here is the incredible part," Liara continued.

"According to my findings, The Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."

' _Cycle?'_ was the thought that ran thru many of the crew's minds.

"If the Protheans weren't the first, then who was?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know. There is barely any evidence on the Protheans and even less on those that came before. I cannot prove my theory but I know I am right! The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up. It is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive."

Garrus and Ashley's eyes widened that.

' _Spirits…could any of that be true'_

' _That's insane!'_ They thought respectively.

"The Protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy," Liara said.

"Not the entire galaxy" Johan muttered, but no one heard it.

"But even then," Liara continued

"Yet even they climbed to the top on the remains of those that came before. Their greatest achievements, the mass relays and the Citadel, are based on technology from the ones that came before them."

Johan's eyes widened.

' _So the Lotus was right, if this cycle has been happening several times over, then mass effect technology has existed for several generations. It's not just the people the Reapers are erasing; the knowledge of the mass effect technology is erased as well only for it to be rediscovered again. The next civilization to discover the relays and the Citadel learns about the technology and evolves along the same path just to be killed for it when they reach a certain point of evolution. If that's the case, then that means…'_

Shepard caught Johan's reaction and narrowed her eyes briefly, but said nothing, yet.

"And then, like all the other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why."

' _So when the Orokin created technology that fundamentally diverged from mass effect technology, they broke from the cycle's trend. Is that why they were hunted? Is that why we were created? If the Reapers learn of us…'_

"The Protheans were wiped out by a race of sentient machines, the Reapers," Shepard said, answering Liara's question.

"The…the Reapers?! But I have never heard of…how do you know this? What weapons do you have?!" Liara responded in absolute shock.

Johan tuned Shepard's response out. He caught bits of the remaining conversation. They were going on about the cipher that Shiala implanted in Shepard's mind. Johan had no interest in that. He pulled up his omni-tool and began typing away on it.

' _Aquila needs to hear this. We need to get this information to the Lotus.'_ Johan thought.

Johan sent a message to his sister, he wasn't sure where she was. He figured she'd catch up to him eventually if he stayed put. He wished he'd recalibrated their comms to talk over longer distances. He hated not knowing where she was. Not that he thought she couldn't take care of herself. He just didn't like having all this new information without being able to bounce it off of her. He realized that even now he still depended on her for guidance and to validate his decisions and theories.

' _Just like when we were kids. I wouldn't have had to courage to lead the rebellion if not for her.'_

"Good to have you on the team, Liara."

Johan snapped out of his thoughts and took a quick survey of the conversation in the room. He nodded his head in acceptance of the addition of the Liara to Shepard's team. It was then he thought about his addition to the team. Johan was at a loss. He'd found out some information that he needed to get back to Aquila and the Lotus. But, the Reapers were also here, or would be soon.

' _Do they know about the tenno yet? Should we head back now and try to take on Hunhow? No, we still don't know how to kill them. We, now, know what they're doing and how they're doing it, but we don't know why… Dammit! So what then? Do I stay with Shepard and her crew? Technically we'll soon be in the same fight. Aquila and I can handle just about anything this galaxy could throw at us. But an army of Reapers big enough to wipe out an entire galaxy, I'm not so sure even we could do that. Not alone.'_

"Johan." He was once again jerked out of his thoughts. This time, it was by Shepard calling his name.

"I gave you until now to decide on what your future will be concerning this team. But before that, I noticed your reaction to certain topics in this conversation. Is there anything you'd like to add? Before you answer, do know that I fully believe your answer pertains to my mission in some way. So I'm expecting an acceptable answer.' Shepard said with her eyes narrow. All the occupants in the room turned to look at Johan, who sighed and stepped forward. Nodding to himself to confirm his decision, he looked straight at the Commander.

"I believe it is in both of our interests if I remained with your team, Commander."

"Really? So I take it that means you will be forthcoming with answers to a few questions I have?" Shepard's eyebrow arched questionably.

Just then a message bleeped on Johan's omni tool. Shepard noticed a tension that she hadn't noticed before wash off of Johan's features as he quickly replied to whatever message he received before turning his attention back to her.

"I will, but if I may, can we postpone those answers. I need to get back to the Citadel. You see, my sister is also my partner on this mission. And before I move forward with any commitment to you. I need to talk with her."

"You have a sister here?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, she has been in the Terminus working another angle on our mission. The information Liara has given about the Protheans has brought something to light that I need to share with her. Once I do that and we have a plan of action forward. I will provide the answers you seek."

Shepard narrowed her eyes. She didn't like having to put this off one bit. Johan's eyes took on a more serious tone.

"In fact, if this goes how I think it will. We will need your help." That shocked the Commander.

"It has become clear to me, that our missions may very well be one and the same."

Shepard eyes narrowed even further before she walked straight up to Johan. He had quite a few inches on her, but by the look in her eyes, you'd think the height difference should have been reversed.

"I will say this now. I don't like it one bit. I've given you plenty of time to think over this and still you're deflecting to talk about it later. This is the last offer I'm extending you. You're lucky we need to restock on the Citadel. We, that is my crew and I will reconvene here after you've had your talk. Then I expect answers to everything. If I don't like what I hear then, I'm kicking you off this ship. Are we clear?" She said.

Johan knew she meant business, but he didn't flinch.

"Crystal." He said, cooly.

"And thank you."

Shepard spun on her heel smoothly and walked towards the door.

"Dismissed." She said as she left.

* * *

The trip to the Citadel was smooth and quiet. Johan hadn't spoken to anyone. Not that anyone wanted to speak to him. When Shepard showed her distrust in him, everyone else followed suit. It didn't bother him though, nor did he blame them. He didn't deserve their trust. He didn't trust them either. They were good people, though, in his opinion. The crew was given a short shore leave when they docked so Johan decided to wait for everyone else to leave before he did the same. Johan opted to stay in his helmeted default frame while on the Citadel in hopes of drawing less attention to his self. As he made his way to the Normandy's doors he found Shepard and Kaidan conversing as they headed for the doors. Shepard and Johan made eye contact briefly. Kaidan tried his best to ignore the fact that Johan was even there.

Johan nodded towards Shepard.

"Commander." He said.

"Johan." She nodded back.

"Remember what I said."

Johan simply nodded and walked through the doors and out onto the walkway.

He caught the elevator just as it was closing. He noticed someone was holding the door for him. It was Ashley.

"Thank you."

Ashley shrugged.

"No problem." She said.

The elevator descended into the Citadel in silence. It made no sense to Johan how slow elevators moved in this society. 'You can accelerate a damn grain of sand to the point where it can kill, but you can't accelerate a damn elevator.' He thought bitterly.

"Ok, I got to ask, are you TRYING to get the Commander to shoot you?" Ashley asked, breaking the silence.

Johan smirked at that.

"She'd be foolish to try."

"I'm just saying you decided to join up with us, for what, information? A means to an end?"

"I wouldn't put it like that…but more or less."

"Beside the fact that you're basically using us to get what you want. You do know we're out to save the galaxy right?"

"You don't think I'm doing the same."

"None of us know WHAT you're doing. That's the whole point!" She said vehemently. Ashley took a breath before she got too frustrated.

"Look I know you and your people have been isolated for thousands of years, but you're going to have to learn to cooperate with others."

Johan barked out laughing.

"This coming from you who not so long ago hated anyone that wasn't human."

"I didn't hate them! I just thought humanity needed to stand on its own."

"And yet you're on a mission to save those people."

"Saren's a threat to humans as well as everybody else."

"So you see it then? You can't be on your own and be together simultaneously. By definition that doesn't make sense."

"Don't make this about me and humanity, what about you? You can't survive here keeping everything to yourself either."

Johan sighed. "I know."

"Then why are you?"

"Who I am, and what I know will change the foundation of life as you know it forever. Not only that, but, Saren is only the beginning. None of you have any idea what's coming."

"Then tell us!"

"I will. I don't think I have a choice anymore." Ashley didn't get a chance to respond as the elevator opened. She chose to let it drop, as people were in ear shot. She was about to walk away when something made 'thunk' sound right in front of her. Ashley jumped back and reached for her pistol; pointing it at the object that was now embedded centimeters in front of where her foot once stood. Shepard and Kaidan excited a second elevator in time to see Ashley with her weapon out and they did so as well. Johan was the only one undisturbed by the commotion.

"What's going on Gun-Chief?" Shepard asked.

"Something just fired at my feet, but I don't see a sniper."

"They could be anywhere by now!" Kaidan said.

"It wasn't a sniper."

They all turned to Johan. He walked over to the object. He pulled it effortlessly from the ground and showed it to the trio.

"Is that some kind of knife?" Shepard asked

Johan nodded "A kunai. Your people used to have something similar."

"So this is from your sister?" Ashley asked.

"Yes. If she were trying to hit you, It'd have been in your head."

"I apologized if she startled you." Johan said as he inspected the kunai. He noticed an intricate patter etched along the flat side of the blade. Flowing through this pattern was a brilliant sky blue energy it converged at the handle, which Johan recognized it to mean the handle was bio-locked.

' _Odd, why would she take the time to bio-lock a kunai. It must be meant for me.'_

The moment he grabbed the handle of the kunai a small blue flash enveloped it. It was too fast for many people to notice. Shepard, Kaidan and Ashley were the only ones close enough to notice it.

"What the hell was that?" Ashley wondered.

The same blue energy enveloped the delta-frame. Suddenly Johan's omni-tool came to life. Which drew concerned looks on the faces of the Alliance trio; since Johan hadn't touched his omni-tool. Not only that, but instead of the usual interface, a virtual rhombus-shaped prism appeared.

"Operator! – _WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!—_ Ordis is so happy to see you again."

"Ordy? Ah! I guess I never did sync you with my systems did I?"

"No, you neglected to do so in your haste to go follow up on this lead. Operator Aquila was – _PISSED!—_ highly upset at that fact."

Johan chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, I bet she was. I take it you're here to take me to her."

"As well as to rectify what you should have done in the first place! Honestly, Operator, how could you forget me?!" Ordis replied.

Before their banter could continue, Kaidan stepped up.

"I'm sorry but is that an A.I?!"

Johan's omni-tool flashed dangerously.

"Did that human just call ME an A.I.?! The nerve!"

Johan couldn't take it anymore and just started laughing.

"No, Kaidan, A.I.'s as you know them got nothing on Cephalons like Ordis here."

"Regardless, they're illegal in Council space." Kaidan

"Noted. You can alert any authorities you want. You'll be responsible for the deaths of anyone that comes for me, my sister or Ordis. That I can promise you." Johan said with a stern face.

"Lay off Kaidan." Shepard said.

"It's ok Johan, we not aware your technology included something similar to A.I.'s" She said, trying to diffuse the situation."

"Yes, well consider this a snippet of what you're in for in that conversation I owe you." He said, dismissing Kaidan's disrespect of Ordis. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I do need to find my sister. I shall return at the designated time."

With that Johan leaped over a nearby guard rail and out of sight.

* * *

 _ **Scimitar**_

 _ **Just outside the Citadel**_

* * *

Aquila sat in the lotus position meditating while absentmindedly scratching Sasha's head. Sasha made a sound of approval as Aquila's stroke started hitting her sweet spot. Aquila's meditation was suddenly interrupted when Sasha jumped up and sprinted out of the common area. Two seconds later, Johan waltz into the common area carrying Sasha bridal style. His helmetless face was drench in kubrow spit.

"I feel gross." Johan said, laughing.

"Yeah, well that's what you get for not syncing Ordis with your suit." She said as she tossed a towel to him.

"Yeah that was a big oversight." He got out while he cleaned his face

Aquila took a huge sigh before standing up.

"Well, at least you made friends."

"You mean the Normandy crew? I wouldn't say they're friends"

"Oh?" Johan set Sasha down and her his sister a pointed look.

"They asked too many questions and I gave too few answers."

Aquila knew exactly what he meant, so, she nodded.

"I see. Well, was it worth the trouble?" She asked as she took up a comfortable spot on the adjacent wall. Sasha curled round her as Johan began the tale of his past couple of days.

By the time he was finished, Aquila shared the same concerned look as he did.

"The Reapers are worse than we feared." She said, finally.

"And there are a lot of them. They wiped out the entire galaxy of advanced life."

He then relayed to her his theory on why they came after the Orokin.

"Think about it. If this is a cycle of destruction that they bring, why is it that the relays and the Citadel are always left standing? If they were created by any of the civilizations that they destroyed why weren't they destroyed as well?"

"Ease of conquest." Aquila said.

"Exactly, the Reapers have to be behind their construction or at least were around when they were. They're purposefully allowing them to remain…" Johan said

"To ensure the next generation follows the same path. Discover the relays and the technology." Aquila finished.

Johan nodded.

"Making destroying the civilizations easier. They know everything about them before they even come." He said.

"If so, they must have had agents collecting information each cycle. And with it the Reapers could cripple them before they even arrived." Aquila said

"I'm willing to bet that Saren is that agent now." Johan took the words right out of Aquila's mouth.

"But how do we fit into this? Why come after the Orokin? They weren't that large in number compared to most races. They don't even use the same technology." Aquila said

"I think it's BECAUSE of the technology," Johan said.

"What do you mean?" Aquila questioned."

"For some reason, the Reapers are destroying these races every 50,000 years. They are using tech that they know everything about. For every civilization they've destroyed, they've orchestrated their entire scientific evolution. The Orokin were an anomaly. They saw thru the Reapers act and chose a different route. If EVERYBODY had done that, the Reapers would have a much harder time in their destruction." Johan explained.

"So they wanted to wipe out the Orokin out of fear that they would be overcome." Aquila deduced.

"Exactly."

"Orokin technology is more advanced than mass effect technology," Johan explained.

"Because it had enough time to progress beyond it. The two aren't that different." Aquila corrected.

"So, the reaper that survives the void, Hunhow, takes over machines that the Orokin were using to help colonize planets and turns them into the Sentients…"

"And began the Old War." Aquila finished.

"The Reapers must have learned of us from the Thorian. Johan said.

"That's the only thing that makes sense." Aquila agreed. Then her eyes widen.

"What is it?" Johan asked curiously.

"The Thorian is also how the Orokin got the idea to create…"

"Us." Johan said in shock.

Aquila nodded dumbly. The information weighed heavily on their minds. The lengths to which the Orokin went for their own survival.

"Is it weird that I get it?" Aquila asked quietly.

"I understand why they did what they did to us?"

"No, because I get it too," Johan said sadly

"They didn't have many choices I guess,"

Johan's face then grew cold.

"But HOW they did it to us is another story."

Aquila nodded her head quickly in agreement, a look of rage emblazoned on her face.

"The Lotus will want to know this information."

Ordis, who had been quiet throughout the conversation, chimed in.

"I have been preparing for the next communication with the Lotus. I can link us up now or whenever you're ready." He said.

They looked to each other, and nodded.

"Best to do it now Ordis, thank you," Aquila said.

"One moment." He replied.

Suddenly the wall across from them shimmered. If you didn't know you were on a ship, you would have thought you were back at the Tenno Research Lab. The Lotus stood in the center of the room with several tenno walking back and forth in the background. A brilliant smile was displayed on the Lotus's face.

"Johan, Aquila, it is wonderful to hear from you, my children."

They smiled.

"You too Lotus."

"I wish we could talk longer, but we have an urgent development that you need to be made aware of." Lotus said seriously.

Aquila and Johan both adopted a serious look in kind and nodded for Lotus to continue.

"We've been keeping tabs on the Stalker as best we can ever since our run in with him and Hunhow. My sources indicate that they both have disappeared around a month ago."

"What do you mean disappeared?! Johan exclaimed.

"I thought Hunhow couldn't move?" Aquila clarified.

"The ship is where it has always been," Lotus explained

"However it appears to be shutdown. And no one, not one tenno, has seen the Stalker since that time."

"What do you think Lotus?" Aquila asked

"I've tapped into all of my resources. I don't know where they could have gone.

Johan and Aquila looked worried.

"Lotus, do you think he might be using Shadow to cross the void to this side of the galaxy?" Johan asked.

All the tenno immediately stopped what they were doing when they heard the question the Lotus herself was so lost in thought she barely notice.

"We've scoured every inch of our end, with no sign of him. I have no way to be sure, but I fear that's exactly what he's attempting."

The tenno twins were afraid of this. Johan seemed to be lost in thought, before looking towards his sister who was staring back at him. This war was getting way over their head before it even began.

"Lotus, we have some information for you as well," Johan said.

He proceeded to the Lotus and the rest of the Tenno everything. His ventures with the Normandy crew and particularly, the conversation and mind meld with the Thorian and Shiala respectively.

The Lotus was in shock. The bits and pieces she was able to collect of their history were pieced into a perfect picture in a matter of moments. All the tenno stood stock still. Some were pinging other tenno in adjacent rooms to relay the story to them.

When Johan was done he stood in front of Aquila and spoke.

"Believe me, I know the kind of feels this story brings up. But our past is our past. It's both relieving as it is puzzling to learn the moves that were made that birthed us. But, it doesn't matter now. We have threat not only to us but to the entire galaxy. We know what they want and how they'll aim to accomplish it. We don't know why, but that doesn't matter. We need to figure out where to move forward from here. But it's obvious to me that this is one war we can't win alone."

"Johan is right Lotus." Aquila said, stepping forward.

"Let's assume that Hunhow, via the Shadow Stalker, is on his way here. If that's the case, then the Reapers are much closer to our door step than we thought. They already have an indoctrinated agent working to bring their return. If the Stalker joins him, they will know of us. And, they will be more than able to destroy us. We have the ability, but not the numbers to combat them. We will need help."

"Are you suggesting we ally with the Grineer and the Corpus?" Lotus asked in shock.

"Not just them," Johan said.

"We'll need everyone from this side too. Humans, Quarians, Krogan, every species. The threat is just that huge."

Every tenno within earshot couldn't believe what they heard. A threat to all existence everywhere. One Hunhow was bad, but millions of Hunhow all stronger than the one they faced. It was demoralizing. But, they were Tenno. Since when has the odds ever been in their favor. The Tenno were never one to back down when put in a corner. They would have never been free if they weren't.

Johan and Aquila surveyed the room. The face of every Tenno could be seen. Some were friends, people they recognized. They all were family. That's what made the Tenno so great in Aquila's opinion. People became the divided humans fought humans for centuries before they became one to join the galaxy. The Tenno never had that issue. They were one at the beginning when they defeated the Reapers that made it across the void and turned the Sentients on their masters. They were one when their masters further abused them as slaves because of their own fear. They were one when they rebelled against and dismantled the Empire that taught them war and pain. And, 50,000 years later, they were one now. Ten years in the Traverse was proof enough that getting the rest of the galaxy to act that way would be a challenge. To do so in the short amount of time that they no doubt had, it would be damn near impossible. But they would do it. They were Tenno. They wouldn't fail.

"Is it time Lotus?" Aquila asked

"I do believe so my children." She said, smiling.

"Finally! Let's do it then." Johan said clapping his hands together eagerly.

"Let's introduce the galaxy to the Tenno."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap. I'm sorry it's shorter and all fillery. I personally hate filler chapters I know they are as painful to write as they are to read. But I wouldn't have been able to move forward and streamline my story without it. Plus I need to get towards the end of ME1 which is where the story is REALLY going to kick off.**

 **Before I go, I will answer a question I'm anticipating after this chapter.**

 **I'll say this here. I'm not to type to explain the choices I make in a story unless people NEED to know but I'll sorta break that here and tell you that NO! The Tenno will not be taking over the galaxy and no you will not be seeing them entering the rest of the galaxy en mass ANY time soon. Integrating into a new galaxy would take some time I'd imagine. They're only starting the process now. And that's going to bring problems of its own. I don't want ppl to think the Tenno are finna come take over the place. That's too easy to write. so you won't see that here.**

 **I think that's all I have. Remember to check my profile for warframe changes/additions. I'm hungry and burnt out now so I'm going to get some wings and a beer.**

 **See you soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome to Chapter 7. I thank you for being patient with me. I have had the majority of this chapter written since I posted chapter 6 but life got ahead of me, so I had to step away for a bit. But, I'm back now to give you what you've been waiting for! Here are a few responses to reviews before I let you get started.**

 **zealous specter: Aquila will be getting her day real soon! Don't worry!**

 **Yumikana: I'm actually going back to look thru all the Cephalon lore now to see if it'll play a significant part in my story. I will say that Ordis will be getting some character development. (you'll get a hint of it in this chapter) so there will be some cool things happening there**

 **MEleeSmasher: Thanks for that reference! I'm going to study up on fragments before I decide if it'll be in the story. I don't want to botch it up if I use it.**

 **XxWildHeartXIIIxX: I get what you're saying but I think that fits more in line if the Tenno were coming from a place where they didn't have all that before. This is the only life the Tenno have ever known. They aren't paranoid about enemies coming for their heads. They expect it, I think. Johan only reserved because of his personal demons created thru his past. But as a race, the Tenno accept who they are and where they've come from. They also have a bit of arrogance. They know this galaxy. Well, they know the technology at least. So they aren't even trying to fathom the thought that anybody poses a threat. They see themeselves as superior, and they are. You'll see what I mean if you read this chapter. Oh, and Hail Loki! LOL**

 **Thanks guys, here's chapter 7!**

* * *

 _ **SSV Normandy**_

 _ **Debriefing Room**_

* * *

Never in her one hundred and six years of life would Liara ever dream she'd get the opportunity to learn more than a few new theories about the Protheans. Fifty years of research led her to the discovery of their demise. And now, in a few short moments, she would be able to converse with someone who lived in the galaxy during that time. She would be able to gain insight into their culture, their history! Liara was doing her utmost to not bounce in her chair in excitement. The every-so-often restless squirming in her seat was the only external evidence of her growing impatience.

She was pleasantly surprised to learn that the human-looking individual she saw briefly on the Normandy was in fact not human at all. The Tenno, as Shepard informed her, was a member of a species of people that originally existed over 50,000 years ago alongside the Protheans; and, recently, awakened from cryo just a few hundred years ago to finish some unknown mission. She didn't know much more about him than that, but Shepard said they'd be getting some answers if he was to continue his work while being with the team. That's why she and the rest of the ground team were now seated in the briefing room. Secretly, she hoped he would stay. If nothing else, she could learn more about the Protheans, and maybe even his own people. She gazed around the room to gauge the rest of the ground crew. They were all anticipating the pending conversation. In the short time Johan has been aboard the Normandy, Liara hasn't had enough interaction to form a personal opinion of him. She only had the other's impressions to go on.

Wrex and Garrus had a neutral respect for him as a warrior. Garrus doesn't really trust him, but he doesn't appear to be a criminal. At least, he hoped he wasn't. He was interested in the types of weapons his people used. Liara thought she saw him salivate as he told Liara about their encounter on the Citadel.

' _Apparently, he took down some mercs with a bow and arrow and a sword. I didn't know such primitive weapons still existed'_ Liara thought at the time.

Wrex hasn't really cared either way. Although, his performance in that alleyway gained him some clout with the krogan.

Tali was curious into how his suit operated. She seemed to be positive it didn't involve any known technology in the galaxy. Liara wasn't sure she believed that, but Tali was adamant about it. In any case, the stories she heard about his 'warframe' were incredible.

Ashley had a more positive outlook on the tenno. Although, she thought he was antagonizing Shepard excessively, which rubbed her the wrong way. She looked up to the commander and didn't approve of the disrespect.

Kaidan was, by far, the most negative of the group. While it was incredible, to him, that a new species was discovered, he didn't like his attitude or his disrespect towards the commander. He saw him as arrogant and nothing more than a lone merc with some fancy weapons.

Liara wasn't sure what to make of him just yet, she hadn't even seen him since the first few moments after she first boarded the Normandy

' _Hopefully,'_ she thought. ' _Some light can be shed on this tenno mystery.'_

Her thoughts were cut short when the door to the debriefing room slid open, allowing Shepard to walk thru. She was dressed in her normal attire. The only difference was her hair; tied into a loose pony tail instead of being down. Following behind her was Johan. Liara couldn't help but notice a slight change in him. When he was last on the Normandy, he looked perplexed, or tense, about something. Now, all that tension appeared to be gone from his physical features. Shepard, too, had noticed the change in his disposition.

' _He seems resolute, at peace.'_ She thought. _Perhaps we may actually get somewhere this time.'_

He took the empty seat in the semi-circle of chairs. Shepard stood opposite of the group of chairs; taking a quick tally of the room to ensure she had all of the ground team present and at attention.

She folded her arms underneath her chest and cocked her head to the side, gazing directly at Johan.

"I'm assuming you being here means you're committing to this team fully now?" She said neutrally.

Johan nodded

"I am."

Shepard nodded in return

"Alright then, before we start the briefing on our next assignment, I have some questions, and I will be getting answers to them. Understand?" Her voice took on a serious tone that the entire crew picked up. Ashley and a few of the others silently prayed he'd answer her questions this time.

"Of course," Johan said "I gave you my word. I thank you for your patience and allowing me to speak with my sister. I'll answer anything you ask to the best of my ability."

Shepard seemed to accept his response and nodded slowly, pondering the first question she'd ask him. A few seconds of silence passed before she started.

"If I remember your story correctly, you are Tenno. Your kind was in cryogenic freezing for the last fifty thousand years, or so, and reawakened a few hundred years ago, is that right?"

"Yes, that is correct." He said.

Shepard nodded before continuing

"Before, you said your mission involves finding more information on the Reapers, why?"

"We need to find a way to destroy them," he said. A brilliant energy lit up in the blue of his eyes as he said this.

"Before they destroy us."

Shepard looked at Liara who stared at Johan curiously before returning her own gaze to the Tenno.

"So when you said our goals are aligned…"

"The Reapers will be coming for you as well, this 'cycle' is coming to an end." He said

Shepard's eyes narrowed.

"What do you know about this 'cycle' of destruction that the Reapers conduct," she asked. She fully believed in the threat of the Reapers, but she wanted to see what he knew.

Johan sighed.

"I know bits and pieces. After hearing what Dr. T'Soni, here, told you—us," he corrected,

"It all fit."

"What fits, what do you mean?" Liara asked. Her curiosity had her on the edge of her seat. The entire crew stared at Johan intently.

"To explain, I'll have to tell you a bit about the Tenno's history, and the Orokin."

"Orokin? Isn't that what the Thorian called you back on Feros," Ashley asked.

"Yes, he isn't entirely inaccurate. By birth, I am Orokin," Johan said. He took a breath that seemed to hold the weight of the entire galaxy within its molecules and exhaled. He wasn't sure he was ready to share this story.

"The Orokin were a technologically-centered people that existed during the time of the Protheans. They were masters of technology, and war. You think the Salarians were proud of their intelligence? They are humble idiots compared to the Orokin. It's important to note that their technology was not based on mass effect technology. Element zero doesn't exist in the same form in our system as it does everywhere else. The Orokin used this unique element, known as rubedo, and uplifted themselves, achieving everything the Protheans did with their technology, even FTL flight. My sister is more technologically-inclined than I am. She's of the belief that advancement in technology was far greater than mass effect technology."

Tali gasped in shock.

"You mean they didn't use eezo in their technology at all?!"

"None."

Everyone's jaws dropped to the floor.

"But that's impossible! How, is it, that such resources only existed in your system, and how can you say it's greater? What proof do you have? It doesn't make sense," Liara exclaimed.

Johan shrugged.

"I don't know why it only exists in our system, I just know that it does. My sister believes that one of the reasons your technology is so inferior to ours is that it wasn't allowed to advance beyond what it is now."

This stopped Liara in her tracks.

Shepard broke the short silence with the unasked question on Liara's lips.

"What do you mean?"

"Like I was saying, the Orokin prided themselves on their technology and were always looking to improve it. They were masters of spaceflight using their own technology for years. Their first encounter with eezo came when they discovered a mass relay in their system; and thru it, the Protheans."

Johan looked around to ensure he had everyone's attention. Before he could continue, Liara jumped in.

"So your kind met the Protheans?! What were they like? How did they-,"

"Before you get started Liara, I should warn you. I know the asari have something akin to idolization for the Protheans. If you want the truth. You need to prepare for that bubble to be burst." He said.

This set everyone on edge. They were all curious as to what is it about the Protheans that made him say that the way he did. Shepard figured it couldn't be good.

Liara looked slightly taken aback before responding heatedly.

"I am not a child. Whatever it is you know about the Protheans I assure I can handle it."

"Alright… at this point, as you know, the Protheans' Empire expanded the entire galaxy. They believed in a very literal form of the human idiom 'survival of the fittest.' Since they were the masters of mass effect technology. They thought it was their right to 'uplift' other races that they'd come across in their exploration of the entire galaxy."

Liara nodded.

"Yes, my research did hint at that fact, they would share their knowledge with upcoming species and help them advance along."

Johan chuckled.

"That's an extremely censored depiction," he began.

"They introduced every species they came across to the uses of mass effect and demonstrated their power with it. When you say they uplifted these species, they actually assimilated them. Sort of like how the Volus are clients of the Turians; only, it's much more permanent. You were either absorbed into the empire and became 'Prothean' or your entire species was eradicated."

The shocked silence permeated the room.

"How could they do that to entire races?" It was Shepard who supplied the unanswered question.

"It was simple if you were strong enough to overcome them, then you would, and, replace them as the leaders of the galaxy; Survival of the fittest. Suffice to say, nobody ever successfully opposed them."

"So how do the Orokin fit into all of this? Did the Protheans try to absorb them too?" Kaidan asked.

Johan nodded,

"They did, which brings me back to Liara's research."

"The Protheans were working to absorb the Orokin into their empire. It was during this time that they discovered the same thing you did, Liara. The Protheans were not the creators of the mass relay and the Citadel. They did not create mass effect technology. Nor did the Inusannon, the ones that came before the Protheans. The Protheans didn't know who the creators were. This caused the Orokin to withdraw from the Empire. They did not trust the Prothean's technology. The only reason they considered joining was so they could study their tech and improve it before adding it to their own. But, they were suspicious of the technology's origin. They felt it was too much of a black box to integrate with. However, they also knew that they could not win against the Protheans in battle. The Orokin were obviously beat by sheer numbers; the Prothean military would have been too great. So, being the opportunists that they were, the Orokin gathered as much intel as they could on mass effect, the relays and Citadel, and the Protheans' uses for it. After that, they retreated to their home system. And, to ensure the Protheans could not follow them, they destroyed the mass relay connecting to their system."

"They WHAT?!" Everyone yelled simultaneously.

"De-destroyed a relay?" Tali said.

"Damn!" Wrex said.

"Spirits…" Garrus mandibles clicked in shock

"They destroyed a whole damn relay?!" Ashley finished.

Kaidan shook his head in disbelief.

Liara was almost standing at this point.

"How the HELL did they accomplish such a thing!?" She demanded.

"Their technology," Johan said simply.

"I told you, there are things they could do that even the Protheans couldn't dream of. With the intel they'd acquired from the Protheans, not that the Protheans knew it, of course, they were able to gain a good grasp on the uses of eezo and mass effect physics. They figured out how the relays worked and developed a way to destroy them. Although in doing so, they invited some unforeseen consequences"

"Such as?" Shepard ran a hand thru her hair as she asked the question. She was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by all the new info she was getting.

"The Void."

"The what?" she said dumbly

"The destruction of the relay created a…pocket dimension, of sorts, in space itself. It more or less permanently separated their system from the rest of the galaxy.

Shepard just shook her head in an attempt to shake a growing headache.

"I'm just going to accept that as truth, it hurts too much to even try and process it. So what happened next?"

Johan told them how around this time, the Reapers invaded the Prothean Empire. It actually took about a century for the entire Prothean race to be eradicated. He then explained how the Orokin, ignorant of the Protheans' demise, began to experiment in the void.

"The Void is a strange and volatile place. It's difficult to describe. The Orokin were intrigued by it. My sister can tell you, in detail, the theories about how it was created and such. They didn't get very far in anything that they tried until the accident. A civilian ship, the Zariman, ventured into the void. How it happened is unknown, but, the ship ruptured, exposing all inside to the void. The adults all died as a result and the children aboard were infused with unique powers."

"Why would a civilian ship even be in the void for an accident like that to happen?!" Ashley asked. She was dumbfounded. Shepard was the same.

' _Why would they do something so stupid?'_ she thought.

Johan's eyes hardened.

"Because it was no accident."

The crew's eyes widened.

"You, you mean?" Liara stuttered.

"The Orokin purposefully exposed their own people to the void," Johan said somberly

"All those aboard were of the lower class. Nobody was of any importance in Orokin society. Of course, the official story was it was an accident. But, everyone knew that nobody would care too much if anything bad happened to them. Everyone on the ship was expendable." Johan did his best to hide the malice on his face and avoided making eye contact as he continued the story. He was sure his eyes were glowing orange in anger.

If he were looking up, he'd see anger or sadness, depending on where he looked, on everyone's faces.

"The Orokin orchestrated many more well placed 'accidents' to increase their pool for experiments. The adults almost always died. The children would always become infused with void energy giving them strange powers. The Orokin sought to weaponize the energy. They deduced the void energy had to fuse with children as their physiology had not fully developed and then grow with them. The children were kept a secret from the entirety of the Orokin Empire. Everyone assumed they'd died. Their families were usually the adults taken by the void, so, a huge fuss was never really made in public. So the children were never rescued. They ceased to become children at all. They became experiments."

This didn't help the mood in the room. A think blanket a sadness draped over the room before Shepard cut thru the silence.

"So how do the Thorian fit into all this? And the Tenno? I noticed you refer to the Orokin as 'they' instead of 'we.' I can only assume there's a reason for that.

Johan looked up and their eyes met. Shepard could not read his expression. She could tell he was pondering whether he should continue the explanation or shut it down here. She realized she probably shouldn't have asked that last question. She was hoping to change to topic to something not so sad. She got the sinking feeling she'd just done the opposite.

' _No turning back now,'_ he thought.

"The Orokin were more concerned with advancing their technology than expanding. Most of the people lived in stations and ships rather than planets. It wasn't that they couldn't. They just never felt the need to."

"God, they weren't big on natural beauty, huh?" Ashley said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Johan chuckled.

"No, definitely not," he said.

"They did eventually get around to wanting to expand and colonize the other habitable planets in the system. And by habitable, I don't mean green. I mean that they could build cities on the planet and build a survivable ecosystem to conduct their studies."

Tali shivered.

"These people have no appreciation for natural things at all," she said.

She was disliking the Orokin more and more.

"Pretty much," Johan replied.

"And to help they built machines, equivalent to what you would call V.I's to help colonize these planets."

"Sorry to interrupt, but are these those Cephalons you mentioned earlier," Shepard asked.

Johan shook his head as a negative.

"No, this was before their creation."

"Now," he began.

"The colonization and experimenting continued on for a few years. Then, the Reapers came," Everybody's attention focused back on Johan and out of the sad funk they were just in. They didn't want to miss any important information.

"I can only guess, but my theory is that the Reapers learned of the Orokin's existence from the Protheans. Before retreating, the Orokin had come across the Thorian, who were one of the races absorbed in the Prothean Empire. They warned the Thorian about what they found about the origins of the relays and the Citadel and maybe even the Reapers. In exchange for help in preserving their race, the Thorian gave some of its flesh for the Orokin to experiment on. That's what I learned on Feros." Johan said, stopping to make sure they were following.

They were.

"I think that the Reapers got a hold of whatever technology the Orokin had shared and traced it back to them. Only, the Reapers didn't count on the void. The void is so volatile, even the Reapers, for some unknown reason, couldn't pass thru it. The ones that did were destroyed before making it to the other side. Only one successfully made the journey. He was called Hunhow. I don't know how, but he took control of the Orokin's V.I.'s and turned them into what the Orokin called the Sentients. And thru the Sentients, Hunhow began destroying the Orokin. In taking control of the Sentients, Hunhow gained a working knowledge of Orokin technology and began to turn it against them. The process was slow but absolute. If the Orokin didn't do something. They were going to be exterminated by their own technology."

"Why do I get the feeling that's only karma finally biting them in the ass," Garrus asked.

Shepard laughed at that.

"Because it is," she said.

The rest of the crew nodded in agreement

Johan chose to ignore it all, he wouldn't be able to get thru the rest of the story if he didn't.

"In their desperation, they turned to the void," He began.

"In their experiments on the void-infused children, they discovered that the energies that dwelled in their bodies had matured. And could be used as a weapon if harness correctly. It was way too volatile to try and weaponize something on a grand scale, but, the children were essentially conduits of a powerful energy that had yet to be tapped into"

Shepard frowned. She could see where this was going.

"Not all the adults died. Well, they did, but their bodies were salvageable. These bodies were experimented on in conjunction with the Thorian flesh. The flesh is…alive, for lack of a better word. In time, they found it could replicate itself and bond to other organic beings, if it needed to, for life. They bonded them to the dead bodies they pulled from the void. This resulted in mutated, mindless beasts that rampaged on the scientists that developed it. Those that weren't killed were turned into them in a matter of hours. The entire planet had to be evacuated out of fear that they would escape to other planets. These beasts, became known as the Infested."

"Keelah…." Tali hated that she ever asked what they were. Johan was right. She didn't need to know.

Shepard couldn't take any more tales of the reprehensible acts of so-called science.

' _He couldn't have been a part of this. He wouldn't be so forth coming. So where does he fit…Oh God, don't tell me…'_

Garrus's mandibles twitched in irritation and Wrex growled lowly.

Kaidan's face was contorted in a mixture of disgust and anger; as was Ashley's

Liara's hand covered her mouth in shock and disgust.

"The children were made into experiments, slaves and trained to be the most elite of warriors who enforced the will of the leaders of the Orokin Empire When the reapers came, the Orokin were beginning to learn how to harness void energy that had mutated these children. To expedite the process, the scientists took the data from the Infested incident. They combined the mutated Orokin/Thorian flesh with their own technology creating an armor capable of harnessing the volatile void energies in the children. They built these armors around the children and weaponized them in a last effort to thwart the Reapers. These children were rejects turned into saviors for the Orokin. From then on, these children became known as-"

"Tenno." Shepard finished for him.

Those that hadn't already deduced it widened their eyes to the width of saucers. Those, like Shepard, that had put it together a few moments previous only looked towards Johan in hardened sadness, and respect.

Johan swallowed hard before nodding.

"Precisely."

The silence couldn't be anymore deafening.

"Johan, you don't have to go any further," Shepard said finally.

"If this is too much..."

"No, Commander," Johan said sternly.

"This story needs to be told in full, I'm not sure I could tell it again, so it needs to be told out now."

Shepard nodded slowly, her eyes full of sympathy.

"You don't need to pity me, Commander, it's behind me."

She could tell in his eyes that that was a lie. But she didn't have the heart to call him out on it. Instead, she just nodded.

"So the Tenno were put against the Sentients," she began.

"And we destroyed them, it wasn't even close." Johan finished.

"The Reaper itself, we couldn't destroy. The Orokin feared destroying it outright would create another void as they discovered it the reaper ships are comprised of the same technology. So, we permanently disabled it. After that, things only got worse. The knowledge of who and what the Tenno were became public knowledge. Some were in outrage at what the Orokin leaders had done to their own kind. Most were afraid of us and our power. We'd decimated the Sentients so thoroughly that they feared what we were capable of. As a result, we were put on tighter leashes. We were beat and tortured in order to be kept in line. The experiments also continued. They assumed since we were capable of dishing out so much, that we could take it in kind. So they got a bit riskier in their experiments; more ruthless in their handling of us. A few of us died as a result. The void energy within us slowed down our aging and more than doubled our lifespan. It also made us a lot more durable than the average Orokin. So for the next several years we were made to serve and protect our Orokin masters."

"That's horrible," Ashley said. She was holding back tears at this point.

"How did you all survive?"

"We held on to each other. Doing what they asked was second nature. It was all we had known. We stuck together to keep our spirits and sanity from being lost entirely. We tried holding on to the hope that they'd release us; that they'd find whatever answers they sought and let us go. That day never came."

Johan couldn't take them getting so pent up over learning of his past. He hated that he had to share it at all, even though it was relieving to be doing so.

"The only saving grace that we had, came from the Lotus."

"Who's she?" Shepard asked. She desperately wanted to know what happened to the Tenno. She wanted to know this had a happy ending.

In the Sentient war, the Reapers indoctrinated the Orokin that worked on the sentient machines. Kind of like how the Thorian controlled the colony, but it's much more subtle, practically untraceable and it's still largely believed to be near permanent. Only the Lotus, one of the scientists, broke the indoctrination."

"That's possible?" Liara asked.

"Hunhow's journey through the void severely weakened him. It's why we were able to defeat them so easily. Their indoctrination capabilities are believed to have suffered as well. A strong enough mind could push his influence out entirely. After the war, she learned of us and became something of a protector; a mother to us all. She taught us things beyond war. She taught us how to be people. She rallied us together into a family. Over the years, we grew; getting stronger and more capable each day. And each day we grew tired and more tired of the Orokin's abusive ways. Eventually, we revolted."

Garrus did a silent cheer in his seat as if he were rooting for his favorite sports team. Wrex smiled.

"We call it the Old War, and, to make a long story short, we toppled the Orokin Empire. We killed their leaders and their people by the thousands. The Empire itself fell as we dwindled them down to next to nothing. It created a vacuum in power, and the system quickly became a dangerous place. A lot of people were after us. I'm not sure what all Lotus did or why she did it. The only thing I remember is being put into a cryo pod and waking up almost 50,000 years later along with the rest of the Tenno, most of them anyway."

"Most?" Ashley asked.

"Some Tenno are still locked away in cryo, the system changed dramatically after we were sealed away. The Orokin remnants fell into different factions that warred with each other for years. The only common goal they had was their quest to find us. We were scattered throughout the system. The freezing was done in such a hurry, the locations of some of the cryo sites were lost to time. Even now, we're still discovering pods with tenno still inside.

Johan went on to describe the events of Hunhow's return and their battle for survival. He then explained how, in their last battle, they discovered Hunhow's origin.

"We then realized that were Hunhow to succeed in crossing back across the void, the Reapers would learn of us. We simply aren't large enough in number to take on a galaxy's worth of Reapers." Johan finished.

"So you're looking for a way to defeat the Reapers and survive," Garrus said.

Johan nodded in confirmation.

"And that is why I think it's best if I help you, Commander. Saren is just an agent for the Reapers return. And it won't just be us they'll be coming for."

Shepard nodded her head in understanding. She knew full well that the entire galaxy was in danger of the Reapers. If even half of what she just heard was true, numbers aside, the tenno would be instrumental in putting a stop to them. She'd bet her life on it.

"I'm also willing to bet that if Hunhow does make it back over here, he'll find his way to Sovereign.

"And we'll stop him too if he does," Shepard said resolutely

"Damn right, Commander!" Johan said, grinning.

Shepard gave a smile of her own before stepping to the center of the group.

"Alright team," She said; getting everyone's attention.

"We received intel that reports the geth showing interest in something on Noveria. We've also learned it's likely Matriarch Benezia is residing there as well. So, that's where we're headed next." She said, earning a nod from her crew.

"But, first, we need to get to Luna in the Sol. Admiral Hackett requested assistance in containing a rogue VI. Joker should be in route." Shepard stated

"E.T.A. One hour, Commander" Joker confirmed over the intercom.

"If there's nothing else, get suited and ready."

A round of 'aye aye's' were heard as the ground team filed out of the room.

Johan stayed behind as Shepard was the last one heading towards the door.

"Something on your mind, Johan?" she said.

"My sister," He said slowly.

"I was wondering if she may join us."

"Where is she now?" Shepard inquired.

"The Terminus, I didn't want to cause any more trouble by asking her to come aboard after we'd left the Normandy in a tenuous state. We decided that while I stayed on the Normandy, she would lock down our ship and meet up with us; assuming that's ok with you?"

"Hmm, another walking juggernaut on the squad? You sure Saren could handle that?" she said, smirking

"Ha, Aquila, alone, would send him home crying!"

"If that's the case then she is more than welcome. Are there any accommodations that I need to make?"

Johan held his chin in thought.

"Only a bit of space in the cargo hold. The Liset is a tenno shuttle that we use for drop offs and the occasional air support. It's only a bit bigger than the Mako, just to give you a rough estimate of its size."

"And it'll fit in cargo?"

"Quite comfortably, I think. If you need more convincing, the Liset also serves as our mobile armory. I can show you some of the weapons we use. Play nice, and I may even let you use one," he said with a wink.

Shepard nearly blurted out in excitement, but she was able to maintain her professionalism and merely chuckled.

"Well, now you've got my attention. I guess I'll allow it. But, don't think I'm not holding you to that." She said, smirking as she made her way to the elevator.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Johan said as he watched her leave.

 _ **Luna**_

The mako barreled over the surface of the earth's moon. Johan felt the ride could have been smoother, but he wasn't complaining…yet. The ground team rode in a comfortable silence with Shepard at the wheel. Ashley, who was sitting next to Johan, couldn't take her eyes off of the new warframe he was wearing. It didn't look quite as agile as the one she'd seen him in before, but, to her, it looked just as powerful.

"So, Johan, what's the story behind this one?" she asked.

"Huh,." he replied dumbly. The rest of the crew turned their gaze in his direction.

"You said every one of your suits has a story, right? I was wondering what's the one behind this one," Ashley said

"Oh, well, this frame was first operated by a friend of mine," Johan said

"He was one of the older of the tenno, one of the first to get his warframe. He was also my mentor; taught me everything I know in the ways of battle strategy and awareness. He died in the battle against Hunhow. So I wear this frame in his honor."

Ashley nodded solemnly.

Garrus noticed something was off. He couldn't quite place it at first. But then, it hit him.

"Do you not have a rifle, Johan?" he asked.

"Nope, all I had was my bow. Granted, I could have used that, but I figured I'd have some fun with this one. My sonicor and skana should be more than enough. And for extra sauce on the chicken, I have my warframe abilities."

"Extra sauce on the what?" Garrus asked, confused.

Ashley had to choke back a laugh. Shepard barked out laughing.

"I believe you meant icing on the cake," Ashley said.

"No, I meant sauce on the chicken. I had a human friend on Omega. It was a favorite saying of his." Johan explained.

"Would someone explain to me what a chicken is?" Garrus said

"I understand it's a human delicacy," Johan answered

"Have yet to try it myself, though."

The mako stopped signifying they'd arrived at their destination.

"Alright team," Shepard began,

"In order to take down the Rogue VI we need to destroy the conduits located in each of these three bunkers. The VI has taken control of drones so we can expect heavy fire while inside. Our best bet is to keep the VI occupied and take all three bunkers at once. I know we'll be a man down on one team, but, I'm trusting you, Johan to pick up the slack. You'll be on the team that's a man down."

Johan nodded.

"No problem, Commander."

The crew exited the mako. The moons lack of oxygen forced everybody to go helmets on. Shepard verified that everyone's built-in life support systems were functioning. When she got the confirmation, she addressed the group.

"Alight, all Alliance personnel have evacuated so it should only be the drones we have to worry about. That said, we'll need three tech-balanced teams to hit these bunkers simultaneously."

The team nodded in response.

"Garrus, Tali, you're with me. We're taking the bunker behind me. "

The two of them nodded.

"Kaidan, take Liara and Wrex and hit the bunker to the northwest."

"Roger that, Commander!" Kaidan said as the newly created team formed up behind him.

"Ash, Johan, I want you two to hit that bunker to the far west. You're a man down so watch each other's back."

Johan and Ashley nodded towards each other.

"Keep in radio contact, regroup at the mako once you've destroyed the conduits. Any questions?"

Receiving none, Shepard readied her rifle and the crew mimicked her actions.

"Alright then, let's get it done."

"Aye Aye!" everyone said.

"Are you sure you don't need a rifle?"

Ashley said as she dropped down to the floor of the underground bunker. Johan landed silently behind her as she moved to the corner of the wall leading to the rest of the hallway. He took up position behind her, tapping a few keys on his omni-tool as he did so.

"You don't trust me?" He said in mock-hurt.

"I don't know if I can trust you to not let a bullet hit me in the back, or, worse, a rocket."

"These drones fire rockets?!" Johan said in shock. He was smiling beneath the helmet, though.

"Yes, and they're top grade. Don't tell me you're scared?"

"If by scared, you mean excited? Then, yes I'm shaking."

"Ok, get serious," Ashley hissed.

"Hallway is clear I think the V.I. conduits are just around the corner at the far end of the hall."

The duo slowly made their way down the hall. It was dark and dimly lit. The few doors lining it was locked storage closets. At the far end of the hall, the path was brighter, indicating a spacious room existed just around the corner. No sign of movement could be heard anywhere.

"The drones are most likely guarding the conduits. The hallways are gonna make it tough to breach that room." Johan commented.

Ashley was the first to approach the corner at the far end. She peaked around the wall and into the room. It was spacious but what she saw almost made her swear out loud. Three rocket drones were facing the entryway into the room.

"We'll be like targets in a shooting gallery. There's only one-way in." She cursed.

"Let me take point."

"What? You got a plan," Ashley asked

"Yeah," Johan said as the energy in his warframe came to life. The dark blue that Ashley thought covered the entire suit was replaced in spots by what appeared to a see through piece of material that glowed moderately. If she looked close, Ashley could see what looked to be a river of energy following beneath these pieces.

"This is Volt, I had a really cool intro for this guy but I'll do it another time. One of his abilities allows me to create a shield of energy. Like a barrier but much stronger. And it blocks only incoming projectiles, outgoing ones can pass thru it.

"So we can shoot through it without those drones doing the same?"

"Exactly."

Ashley just shook her head.

"Somehow I'm not even surprised," she said.

"Ready? I can cover the entire opening, so we don't have to worry about any fire until we pass thru it," Johan said.

"Let's do it."

Johan did a silent three-count before he bolted round the corner heading straight for the entryway. The drones immediately came to life and began firing on his position. Johan somersaulted over one rocket, and then, rolled under another. He made it to the archway outlining the entrance to the room. He placed his electric shield over the length and width of it as Ashley came up the entryway hugging the wall in case bullet or rocket got thru. None did though, as she took cover on the opposite side of the door of Johan. Once she was sure the shield wasn't about to bend to the drone's onslaught, Ashley stood directly behind the shield, in the middle of the entryway, and began taking down drone after drone. A few tried to pass thru the shield but they were blown back by the sonicor rounds from Johan. Just as Ashley was about to push forward past the barrier, a horde of rocket drones surged from somewhere in the room. The rockets all bombarded the shield at once and Ashley noticed that the shield was starting to weaken. She chose to ignore it for the moment and opted for taking down as many drones as she could. But the shield started shrinking, and a stray rocket nicked her shields, dropping them completely.

"Holy shit there's too many!" Ashley said,

"We have to go with plan B," Johan said.

'What's plan B?" she asked, not bothering to hide her anxiety.

"GET DOWN!" he shouted.

Ashley immediately dove back behind the wall around the corner as a brilliant flash of light and a sound similar to a tesla machine flooded her senses. Ashley didn't know what was going on, but seconds felt like minutes as the light show continued. The flash died down a few moments later and Ashley picked up her rifle and hurried back towards the entry way in search of her partner. She was shocked at what she found.

The entirety of the room was riddled with scorch marks. The drones appeared to be deactivated. Some would spasm as a stray arc of electricity would shoot across its body. In fact, several small arcs of electricity were dancing randomly around the room. It was then she noticed nearly all of the electronic equipment in the room was either shut down or grossly malfunctioning. Some even had deep holes burned thru them. Jaw open, Ashely found Johan at the center of the destruction. His arms were still spread outward and arcs of electricity were dancing thru his fingers as well.

"What the hell was that?!" Ashley exclaimed.

"Ground teams, do you read me!"

"Load and clear Commander!" Ashley responded.

"We're taking heavy fire over here, Commander!" Kaidan yelled.

Explosions could be heard in the background.

"We're taking fire as well!" Shepard exclaimed.

"They're way too many drones, we'll need to evacuate!" She said as gun shots rang out from her end of the line.

"We've cleared this bunker, Commander. We'll move to assist!" Ashley said quickly.

"No time, they'll be on top of us before you get here!" Kaidan shouted.

"Commander, Kaidan, hold tight. I got a plan." Johan said. He moved to the only working console in the bunker and was hastily typing away.

Ashley strode up behind him.

"What are you going to do?" she wondered.

Instead of responding, he opened his omni-tool and typed in a few commands.

"Ordy, you there?"

"Operator Johan! You actually remembered I was here, how thoughtful—

"Ordy, there's no time!" Johan said, cutting him off.

"We're dealing with a rogue Alliance VI that's got a whole fleet of drones bearing down on my squadmates. Can you shut it down?" He asked as he gave Ordis access to the console.

A moment or two passed before Ordis's voice pinged thru Johan's personal comm.

"Access acquired Johan, shutting down now."

"What just happened?" Garrus's voice came over the comm.

"The drones just dropped, the conduits are shut down too." It was Tali would speak up this time.

"I'm not sure what just happened, but we're clear over here Commander,"

"Likewise," Shepard responded.

"Johan, I don't know what you did, but good job.

"Don't thank me, Commander. This was all Ordis." Johan said as he turned to Ashley who nodded in return before walking towards the exit. Johan furrowed his brow in concern. Usually, Ordis would have made some witty comment or snide remark about the success of the mission. He at least expected to get an earful about forgetting he was in his omni-tool.

"Ordis? Ordy, you okay?" He asked in concern for his Cephalon friend.

"I—I heard her Johan," Ordis said quietly.

' _He dropped the 'Operator' prefix. That's weird._

"Heard who? Ordy?"

"Her." He said simply.

"Not following here buddy,"

"She sounded so weak, so scared…"

"She? You mean the V.I.?"

"She said…help me."

* * *

 **And that's it guys. Thanks so much for reading. Remember to review and tell me what you think**

 **See ya later!**


	8. MAJOR CHANGES!

Before I begin,

I want to say thank you.

I read every review. I started this as something to pass the time when I was bored at my job. I was hyped on warframe and the idea of this story came and I just ran with it. I had no idea so many people would like my story. Your comments and concerns have sincerely warmed my heart and I thank you for being so interested. I never intended to go so long without an update. But here it is, almost two years and no new content. I'm sorry for that.

If you've read my profile, you'd have seen that I have been working on the story with the deadline for a new update set for earlier this month...there was no update. I know that may have made some of you upset. But there's a good reason for it.

Around the time I was finishing up revising and posting the new chapter, The Sacrifice happened. For those that don't know, The Sacrifice is the latest update to Warframe and it FUCKED. SHIT. UP.

In a good way.

It served as the final chapter in the first arc of the Warframe story and it confirmed/established a lot of canon that had, before this point, only been theories amongst us fans. A lot of that lore contradicted with DTR. This was something I was afraid of. The War Within was my main reason for stopping where I did. I didn't want to get too far and write myself into a hole of untruths and stray too far from the lore of either ME or Warframe.

SN: For those that complained about the Tenno not being human in my story... YOU MISSED THE FACT THAT I STATED THAT WAS DEVIATION FROM THE LORE THAT I CONSCIOUSLY MADE

Anyways, the latest update fucked up my story, but DTR was also flawed in the setup to begin with. I was grasping at straws and it wasn't up to my personal standards. I say all this to say that DTR is under major construction (AGAIN). But, thankfully, seeing as I only recently rewrote everything, it won't take 2 years or even 2 months to set everything straight. The major changes will take place in the setup.

The only question mark left in my head is whether or not to stay with the lore and keep the Tenno human. (Feel free to review and let me know your opinion, you have a decent chance to sway me, maybe)

I'm giving you this update because you deserve to know what happened and where I am now.

No, this story is not abandoned.

Yes, I made a lot of changes to the story. But, most are centered on the Tenno/Warframe side of things. ME will be largely intact

so... YES, YOU WILL NEED TO READ ALL THE CHAPTERS AGAIN

I rewrote the story up til 7 and included a NEW 8th chapter.

The major changes will be in the first 2-3 chapters as I completely reworked Johan & Aquila's characters (MAINLY JOHAN-I didn't like how he turned out). The Delta Frame was too OP and will be nerfed a bit. It may not return at all, as I may incorporate more tenno characters down the line. This is due to the changes in the story but, we'll see. I won't give a hard date on when everything will be ready, but know that my research is done and I'm in the beta-ing and editing stage. So in the next few weeks, we'll be off to the races.

Once again, thank you so much for your patience and for following/liking my story. I promised I don't take it for granted. In the meantime, check out my other stories if you so choose and I'll see you guys real soon!


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